The Town That Makes Everything Else Seem Normal
by DP-shrine-in-closet-girl
Summary: Norman wants to make it through his summer in Gravity Falls, Oregon, without drawing too much attention to himself. However, when he finds himself trapped by a creature that shouldn't exist, he doesn't expect to be saved by two twins who seem to know more about this weird stuff than he does. In fact, compared to them, he was downright normal.
1. Gravity Falls Is Not What It Seems

**Hi! For those that know me I KNOW I should be working on my other fics… but the pull of parapines is just too strong… I promise I will get back to my other stuff, especially my DM stuff. But, I already have a bunch of chapters of this fic written so I might as well publish it, right? Right?**

**I was inspired to write this by some of the amazing fic writers out there, especially the two people that are still writing their fics even though this fandom seems to have died down a bit. (****jkl-fff**** and ****discogirl-comingthrough**** are on tumblr and their fics are amazing, go check them out.)**

**I apologize in advance for any errors. I didn't get a beta because I wanted to write this story out very quickly before I lost inspiration. Please review at the end if you can. I wrote this knowing that the fandom was less active recently so I know I won't get too many reviews, but I would love as much feedback as possible.**

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**Chapter One: Gravity Falls Is Not What It Seems**

* * *

Norman Babcock had barely been Gravity Falls a week and he was already the rumor around town. It was the same wherever he went, and his Dad had tried to warn him… not that Norman needed the warning. He knew this would happen.

"We are just going to be in this town for the summer Norman. Can you please not do anything… _different _while you're here?" Norman's father had said the word 'different' like he was talking about a rotten piece of food that was stuck in the drain for months instead of his son's ability to talk to the dead. "It's not that there is anything wrong with your, umm, gift, it's just that the people in this town are not like the people back home. They won't understand."

Norman had resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It's true that the people of Blithe Hollow had started to be much friendlier to Norman since the incident with Agatha, but prior to that incident his town used to consider him a complete freak. His father talked like Norman didn't know how people saw him. Norman knew exactly how freaky he was to other people and that was just their initial impression of him even before he mentioned the 'talking to the dead' thing. People aren't all that accepting of a pale, twelve year old boy talking to himself in the street and waving to people who weren't there.

His father continued to insist that Norman should just ignore the ghosts he saw in Gravity Falls and just enjoy his summer like a young boy should. Norman tried to explain that he couldn't just turn it off, but his father didn't seem to listen. He insisted that Norman try, and Norman had eventually relented.

So he tried to ignore the ghosts the first week there. He really did. However, for such a small town Gravity Falls had a lot of ghosts, and it was hard to walk through them as if they weren't there. It felt rude and went against every instinct he had as a medium and as a person. It was hard not to look at them too, and eventually the ghosts noticed him. Multiple ghosts had asked incredulously if Norman could see them, especially if Norman had been staring too long or if he had accidently laughed at a joke one of them made.

The one time Norman made the mistake of answering that yes, he could see them, did the whole situation get blown out of proportion. News traveled fast and soon every ghost knew there was a Medium in town, and soon they were all asking Norman for favors. Normally, Norman didn't mind; in fact, he has grown to see it as his duty to help ghosts, and occasionally help them pass over. After all, he was the only one that could. However, there was no way Norman could both act normal and help the ghosts.

The town's people of Gravity Falls began to notice that the new kid was talking to himself, or that he would wave and smile to empty spaces. Unlike in Blithe Hollow, Norman didn't tell people he saw ghosts. He knew they would think he was making it up anyway. So, Norman was just seen as that weird, crazy kid in town who was probably mentally disturbed and should be avoided at all costs.

Despite his father's warnings, Norman once again became the freak in a town that hated his guts. However, this time he didn't have Neil with him to make him feel like he wasn't a complete loser. He didn't have anyone but his family, and his Grandma had stayed home in Blithe Hollow. She had said something about Norman needing to spend some time with his family without her, but Norman had no idea what she meant by that. Spending time with his family in the cabin they rented for the summer just made Norman feel lonelier.

Not to mention, with all the whispers and rumors circulating around town, Norman was pretty sure his family was embarrassed by him. His dad definitely looked disappointed, but that's how he always looked when he spoke to Norman.

* * *

"Hey, freak! Why don't you go talk to yourself some more!" someone called from the other side of the street. Norman kept his head down and didn't look in their direction. Maybe they would just go away?

"He doesn't have any friends," a second kid added, "so who else is he going to talk to?"

"Just go back where ever you came from!" The first kid added. People looked up and were watching the scene now as Norman tried to walk faster. Not even grownups intervened when kids made fun of him. They just watched and tried to stay out of it, maybe even usher little children away from Norman as if he had rabies or something.

"_I don't get it?" _A little girl's voice asked. _"Why are they so mean to you?"_ Norman smiled down at his friend. She couldn't have been more than seven when she died.

"It's okay, I'm used to it," Norman assured her. "People… people don't like things they can't explain. I'm weird so they don't like me."

The little girl frowned as she floated beside him. _"That's a stupid reason not to like someone! Well, I don't like them because they are mean to my friend Norman! Let's see if they like that!"_

Norman laughed. "Thanks Cheyenne, but it's okay, really! I'm used to people not liking me. And I have a good friend back home. His name is Neil. So as long as I have one friend… I'm okay. And now I have you, and you're my friend, right? So that's at least two friends."

Cheyenne continued to frown, and flicked her blonde hair out of her eyes. _"I still don't like how mean they are to you. If I was alive I would kick their butts!"_

Norman laughed again. He had meat Cheyenne a few days ago and had been amazed at how mature the young girl was. It's true she had been dead for a long time (about fifty years in fact) but children always stayed mentally their same age once they died. Time didn't affect ghost the same way it did humans. However, although Cheyenne was mentally very young, she still had years of experience as a ghost and that made her very aware of certain things that most children are often not aware of.

Many ghost children as young as Cheyenne never realize they are dead, or at least, they don't fully realize it in the way adult ghosts do. Often, children of a young age usually pass on easily with just a little coaxing, and the only reason they have stuck around at all is because of their confusion. Norman often didn't like dealing with ghosts who died so young. It made him really sad, but Cheyenne was different. She wasn't sad to be dead. Cheyenne was not confused about what she was. She explicitly told him that she would not move on until her parents did. Her parents were a sweet old couple named Mr. and Mrs. Murphy that were living together in Gravity Falls and who had no more kids after their daughter Cheyenne died at such a young age. Cheyenne has told Norman that she had been very sick when she died, but that she couldn't remember what the sickness was.

However, the ghost of Cheyenne was of a happy, healthy child, and there was no evidence of her sickness on her ghostly form. Some ghosts, if they had enough spectral energy, didn't always look the way when they did when they died. Sometimes they looked the way they did when they were at their happiest.

When Cheyenne's parents finally died then she would cross over with them. At least, that's what she told Norman. She was a stubborn girl and nothing Norman could say would convince her otherwise. Besides, she had stuck with her parents for fifty years; Norman doubted she would listen to his advice now.

"How are your mom and dad doing?" Norman asked.

"_They're really good! They are going to start traveling in a few months so I'm going to go with them! I can't wait to see Hawaii!" _

Norman bit his lip. "You sure you don't want me to talk to them?"

Cheyenne shook her head._ "No, it's okay. They're not sad about me anymore and I don't want them to know I'm here and make them sad again. They will see me again eventually."_

Norman smiled at her. "You're really smart, Cheyenne."

Cheyenne beamed. _"Thanks! You're really nice Norman. I'm going to miss you when you go home."_

"Yeah, you too," Norman responded, but he didn't look at her when he said it. The truth was, even though she was his friend and he would miss her, he wanted to go home right now.

"_You don't like it here, do you?"_ Cheyenne asked.

Norman swallowed thickly. "N-No, not really. B-but don't worry about me!" He said quickly. He didn't want to tell her how hard it was to be here. He didn't want to tell her how this town was starting to feel like his old one before everyone believed him. He was starting to feel lonely again, and more like a freak than ever before. "I'll be fine!"

Suddenly, the ghost and medium heard loud screaming coming towards them.

"It's coming!" screeched a loud, feminine voice.

From around the corner came two people around Norman's age. They both had the same color brown hair, the same dark brown eyes, and very similar features. One was a girl with long hair and a heavy home-made sweater, and the other was a boy with a vest and a hat with a pine tree on it. The girl was screaming at the top of her lungs, and the boy kept looking behind him as if something was chases them. They were holding hands as they sprinted down the street away from the forest.

Norman watched them pass with curiosity.

"_That was weird," _Cheyenne commented. _"What are they running from?"_

Norman shrugged. He hadn't seen people scream like that since the undead invaded his hometown. Whatever those two were running from they believed they were running for their lives.

Norman looked around the corner where the twins had come from. The town stopped at the end of the road and there was only the edge of the think forest in front of him, which Norman assumed the kids had run out from.

"Have you ever been in there, Cheyenne?" Norman asked.

The ghost shuddered involuntarily. _"No way! It's too dark in there! And who knows what kind of monsters are in there!"_

Norman was about to point out that she was dead and nothing could hurt her, but stopped himself. She was still just a little girl, and most people were afraid of the dark.

Norman, however, didn't quite have the same aversion to the dark that most people did. Sure, he still got scared, but he had spent many evenings walking through the graveyard in the dark just before his curfew to help out some of his ghost friends in Blithe Hallow. The dark was not something to be scared of just because he couldn't see through it. Norman knew firsthand how harmful being afraid of things just because one doesn't understand them can be.

And so, Norman took a step forward to peer into the brush. He really hoped it wasn't a bear they were running from.

Suddenly, it was like all the warmth had been sucked from the world and Norman's chest had been filled with ice. Norman gasped, but any surprised shout he wanted to make was sucked from his throat as if he were in a vacuum. The air was pulsing when some kind of terrible energy and he felt the same way he did when he would have visions of Agatha. However, the world around him remained the same, and no vision overtook his grasp on reality. He could hear Cheyenne calling for him to come back, but her words sounded so far away as he walked to the edge of the woods.

The strange energy pulsed, and made the hair on his arms stand up, and yet, he found himself being pulled towards it. He knew he should run, that everything about this was wrong. It didn't feel like a ghost, it didn't even feel like a poltergeist.

It felt… somehow worse?

And then he saw it. The thing he had been pulled towards. In the dark underbrush he saw something glistening up at him. Norman picked it up and inspected the object carefully. It was a white comb. It looked centuries old and as if it was made from some kind of shell. It was plain, but somehow that made it even more beautiful.

"Weird," Norman mumbled to himself.

"_Norman!" _Cheyenne shouted and suddenly she was by his side. The pulsing energy around him dissipated, and her voice was no longer distorted. Norman looked around, shocked to find he had wondered deeper into the forest than he had thought.

"_Norman! I was so scared! I was yelling and you wouldn't say anything! H-hey, what is that?"_ Cheyenne asked in a rush, finally spotting the comb.

Norman shook his head. "I don't know, but something is weird about it." Norman looked unsteadily around the forest again. "Come on, let's get you home. It's getting late."

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**Please review! He will actually meet the twins pretty soon, promise. **


	2. The Mystery Twins Start a New Mystery

**Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I'm sorry this chapter is a little shorter than normal but the next one will be twice as long to make up for it. **

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**Chapter Two: The Mystery Twins Start a New Mystery**

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"What was that thing?" Mabel asked pacing the attic that was their bedroom for the summer.

"I-I don't know, I can't find anything in the journal about it, but then again, it's not like we actually saw it."

"We didn't need to see it! We heard it!" Mabel exclaimed. Dipper had a hard time trying to figure out of Mabel was feeling scared about what they almost encountered, or excited. Judging by the grin on her face, Mabel was excited.

Dipper shuddered. "Yeah, that screech was terrifying. It was so loud, but nobody in town seemed to have heard it."

The Mystery Twins had been following clues about four separate disappearances in the woods this past week, and while they were searching the forest, a horrid shriek almost blasted their eardrums apart and sent them bolting out of the forest in a blind panic. The two twins weren't easily scared, but they had found themselves running out of the forest before their brain was able to catch up with what was happening.

"Four separate men have disappeared in the past few days," Dipper continued. "One guy that disappeared had his girlfriend with him, but she stumbled out of the forest, terrified, but fine. She said she had heard noises in the woods like something was stalking them, and when she turned around her boyfriend was gone. Why would it take him and not her?"

"Maybe the creature is a girl-monster who really wants a boyfriend and so she only kidnaps guys!"

"Hmm, there is stuff in the journal about monsters who only prey on guys, and ones that only attack girls, and some that only go after children… maybe you're right."

"She's probably really picky! We should set her up on a blind date!"

"Mabel, this is serious!" Dipper chastised. "If this monster is only after guys I doubt it just wants to date them. All the men in this town could be in serious trouble!"

"It didn't go after you though," Mabel countered. "Maybe you're too young for it?"

Now _that_ hit a nerve. Dipper's eye twitched.

"We don't even know if the shrieking monster and the monster that has been kidnapping people are the same," Dipper reasoned. "Maybe the kidnapping monster didn't see us. We can't rule anything out!"

"Dip, are you jealous that a monster didn't want to kill you or date you or whatever because you're not manly enough to be kidnapped?"

"No! I never said that! And I am too manly enough!"

"Wow, you _are_ totally jealous!" Mabel gasped, and then she started laughing.

"Mabel…" Dipper growled, annoyed.

Mabel finally seemed to get the hint, and her laughter subsided. "Sorry, bro, you are very manly." Dipper could see her trying not to laugh. "And any lady-monster would be lucky to eat your internal organs." His sister started laughing again and Dipper rolled his eyes.

* * *

The next morning the missing men were on the news, or at least, one of them was. From the four men that had gone missing, only one body was found in the woods. Norman had heard his father and mother talking about it as they listened to the news.

"I knew coming to this town was a bad idea," Perry grunted

"Now Perry," Norman's mother soothed. "My parents and I used to vacation here every summer and nothing like this has ever happened before. I'm sure the police will find the missing men soon, and they will find out what is doing all of this. They seem to think it might have been a mountain lion attack because the body they found was… well…"

"That still doesn't explain why the three other bodies are still missing," Perry countered. "If there is some maniac out there those police better do their job and find the guy!"

"Good morning, sweetie!" His mother finally seemed to notice him walk in the TV room. "Do you have any plans for today?"

Norman shrugged. "Not really."

"Haven't you meat any kids your age yet? It's been a week," Perry asked, causing Norman to wince.

He didn't really want to admit that no… he had no friends and he wasn't exactly holding his breath either.

Before he could answer, Courtney strode into the room. "Norman can't hang out with anyone today because he promised he'd spend the day with me," Courtney lied, saving Norman a very embarrassing moment. "Isn't that right, Norman?"

Norman nodded emphatically. "T-that's right!"

"Oh? And what will you two be doing?" Their mother asked.

"Umm… shopping, of course!" Courtney lied with just a hint of hesitation. "I need an extra pair of hands to help hold by bags, and Norman owes me for something, so this is how I asked him to repay me. Sorry Norman, but any plans you were going to make will have to wait until tomorrow."

Norman attempted to look downcast. "O-okay…"

"Aww, well isn't that sweet?" their mother cooed. "My two babies are hanging out together."

Courtney rolled her eyes and headed for the kitchen presumably to eat some breakfast. Norman followed her.

Norman pulled out the box of cereal. "Th-thanks..." he muttered under his breath, but Courtney heard him.

"Yeah, well, whatever. It's not like mom and dad are that hard to fool. And don't get any ideas about actually going shopping with me today!"

When Norman didn't say anything Courtney stopped what she was doing. It was another minute before Norman realized she was staring at him.

"What?" Norman asked nervously, and Courtney frowned, her eyes growing tender.

"Norman… Dad is right you know. If you want, I can see if any of my friends have some younger siblings…"

Norman quickly turned back to what he was doing, effectively shutting her out. "N-no, that's okay."

Norman could feel her taking a seat at the dinner table next to him. "Norman, you don't have Neil while you're here and you need to make some friends." Courtney put a hand on his shoulder, but Norman shrugged it off.

"I have friends here," he assured her a little too quickly.

Courtney sighed. "I know you do, but you need living friends too, Norman."

Norman bit his lip. He could feel his throat begin to close up. "Who says?" he demanded weakly, attempting to fight the urge to cry.

And suddenly, unexpectedly, Courtney was hugging him. "J-Just don't listen to what the people in this town say about you… I-I know I don't."

Norman couldn't understand why his sister was stuttering too. Was she also fighting tears? That seemed impossible. Norman had seen Courtney cry a lot of fake tears throughout the years to get her way, but it had been a very long time since Norman had heard her come close to crying for real.

"They just don't know you yet. They don't know what a hero you can be." Courtney pulled away from him, and looked at him, really looked at him in a way his father never seemed to have the time or patience for. "You know I love you, right?"

Since the incident with Aggie, Courtney had been saying those words more and more. Ever since Norman had told her that Aggie had been a little girl that was just like him, with powers just like him… Courtney had been there to make sure Norman knew he was never alone.

And Norman did know that. He knew his family loved him and that Neil would always be there for him, but sometimes, when things got really bad and the world started to feel like it was slipping back to that time not too long ago when everyone hated him and no one cared, Norman would start to forget.

Courtney and Neil were usually the only ones that could remind him. They were usually the only ones that could sense when Norman was starting to doubt that anyone cared at all, and they always pulled him back.

"Thanks Courtney," he said with a relieved smile. "I-I needed to hear that. And I love you too."

Courtney ruffled his head full of hair. "Anytime, little brother. And if you really want to come with me I guess that would be okay…"

Norman shook his head. "No thanks, I really don't want to carry your bags and hear you talk about boys with your friends." Norman made a face.

Courtney laughed. "I didn't think so. What are you going to do?"

Norman shrugged. "I'll just hang out around town I guess…"

* * *

"Mabel! I think I've figured it out!" Dipper shouted as he attempted to shake his sister awake. "I went through the whole journal this morning and I found out what that screech was! I also think I know what's been kidnapping those men! Come on, get up! I know where it lives!"

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**Please review! And yes, Norman actually gets to meet the twins next chapter. **


	3. Wailing Monster and the Strange Twins

**This chapter the plot really begins! **

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**Chapter Three: The Wailing Monster and the Strange Twins**

* * *

Norman didn't scare easily. He was used to ghosts popping out of nowhere, and he was used to the dead looking gory with body parts missing or ugly tears in the flesh. However, the sudden arrival and gruesome appearance of this particular ghost made him scream.

His mom had over to ask if he was okay, and Norman had managed to give her a shaky nod.

"J-just stubbed my toe," he had lied.

When Norman looked at the ghost again his stomach turned and he almost vomited. Although there was no blood, the ghost was missing half of his shoulder and his arm, his face had been mangled beyond all recognition, and his flesh, or what would have been flesh if he were still alive, had been peeled off his legs so deep that Norman could see bone.

"_Please! You have to help them!" _The ghost pleaded. _"The others said that you were the only one that could see us. That means you're the only one that can save them!"_

Norman took a few steadying breaths to calm his stomach. He wondered how the ghost could see and talk with his face mangled like that, but then again, ghosts don't' follow the rules of normal biology. Norman once seen a ghost who had no head, and they had been able to carry on a conversation just fine.

"Y-you're the guy they found on the news…" Norman stuttered, "The one that was attacked by a mountain lion."

The ghost laughed, but it sounded more like he was trying not to sob_. "Mountain lion! Ha! It wasn't a mountain lion! It was a woman! B-but not a normal woman. Sh-she was a monster! She was beautiful at first… dressed in white with silver hair… but then…" _The ghost shuddered. _"She took me to her cave with the other men she had abducted. I tried to escape and that's when she came after me! She ripped me apart like she was an animal, but she still has the other guys locked away. Please! You have to help them!"_ the ghost begged trying to grab onto Norman's shoulders but his non-corporeal form didn't allow it.

"W-was she a poltergeist?" Norman asked fearfully as he tried to back away from the ghost.

"_A what? N-no! W-well, I don't know what she was! A-a monster! That's all I know! Sh-she stalked us in the forest and then I heard this terrible scream! She had these wings… I remember now… these white leathery wings!"_

"Th-that doesn't sound like a poltergeist." Norman's voice shook. He had no idea what he was dealing with. Poltergeist usually took similar forms to what they looked like when they were alive. Aggie had been able to change her form a bit, but she still looked roughly like a person. Adding wings seemed strange for a poltergeist.

"_And she turned from this beautiful woman into this ugly hag with sharp teeth and claws! She was like a witch!"_

Norman flinched at that.

"_But she can't do much during the day. I think the light weakens her. I can show you the way to her cave and you can free the other guys without her knowing if you do it quickly. It's too late for me, but I don't want them to end up like I did."_

"B-but she killed you. H-how do you know the others are still-"

"_She only killed me when I was trying to escape! She's keeping the others alive… for now, but she will kill them soon! You have to help or they are dead anyway!"_

Norman swallowed, trying to keep the panicking sensation from rising up in his gut. He still had nightmares about Aggie, he didn't know if he could do this again…

"_P-please, I know you're just a kid, but you're their only hope!"_

Norman knew the ghost was right, and he knew what he had to do, but he couldn't keep himself from shaking or his heart from pounding loudly in his ears. There was no way the authorities in this town were going to believe him, and he really didn't want to put his family in danger by telling them. He would have to go alone (well, the ghost would have to show him the way so he wouldn't be entirely alone) to save these men because he was the only one that could. Even if Norman left an anonymous tip with the police there was no way of knowing if they would follow it, or if they would even follow it on time.

Norman nodded. "O-okay, show me the way."

* * *

The ghost, whose name turned out to be Jason, showed Norman the way through the forest to the cave.

"Hello?" Norman called into the empty cave. Norman was carrying the long rope that Jason had instructed him to bring and a flashlight.

"I-is someone there?" A voice called. "Down here! Get us out!"

Norman ran over to what looked like a deep hole in the ground. Shinning the flashlight down the hole, Norman could make out the faces of three men.

"Help us!" One of the men shouted. "Before she comes back!"

"H-hold on," Norman shouted as he left the hole to tie the rope around a large bolder. Norman tossed the rest of the rope down the hole and the three men scrambled to climb out.

The men looked dirty and hungry, but at least they were alive, unlike Jason.

"Thanks, kid!" one of them breathed in relief. "Come on, let's get out of-"

"Now, what's this?" A chilling voice asked form the entrance of the cave. The men plus Norman and Jason whirled around to see a beautiful lady with pale skin, dark eyes, and silver hair. He white bat-like wings covered most of the cave exit.

"Oh no…" one of the men breathed. "This can't be happening."

"I leave for a few hours and come back to find someone is stealing my food supply and not just any someone…"

The woman walked forward, but she was so graceful it was if she were gliding. Norman knew that she had to be more than a regular ghost since the men could see her. In fact, Norman wasn't even sure if she was a ghost at all, or even a poltergeist. Her energy didn't feel like Aggie's did, but there was some sort of aura around her that he could feel. In fact, it was climbing up his spine the closer she came. All the men whimpered and backed away, but Norman was frozen where he was.

The woman reached out a delicate hand towards Norman's face and the young boy squeezed his eyes tight. A jolt went through him as she touched his cheek. The action was gentle, but Norman could _feel_ the malice behind it.

"A little medium come to save the day, huh? That's twice you've interfered. The comb wasn't meant for you to find."

"Th-the comb is yours?" Norman found himself asking without thinking.

"Yes," the lady purred. "I leave it for my next victims to find. Men who have been cruel or unfaithful to their women, like these men here. Immoral men are drawn to it, but you with your medium eyes were able to see it. You sensed it wasn't from this world and took it with you. I _need _that comb," she stressed, her eyes flashing with a look of pure hatred. "I usually don't hurt children," the women said in a whisper, "but maybe I will make an exception for you!"

Suddenly, she lunged and pushed him back against the wall of the cave, his head knocking against the stone hard. Norman didn't notice her fingers were at his throat until she began to squeeze.

Norman gasped for air, completely helpless in her grasp. "Please stop!" he choked out, trying to pry her hand away from his neck, but she was too strong.

The woman loosened her grip slightly. "Why would I?"

"B-because what you're doing is wrong," Norman mustered out between breaths. "These men might not be good people, maybe they've made mistakes, but that doesn't mean they deserve to die!"

"So naïve," the woman hissed. "What they have done… unfaithfulness to their lovers…they deserve death for betraying the trust of the women that loved them. All men have evil in their hearts and I will squash the hearts of all men. And you… you will grow up and be no different. I might as well kill you now."

"I-is that what happened to you?" Norman squeaked out bravely.

"What?"

"Did someone betray you that way? A-are you really just a lady who-"

The monstrous woman squeezed hard, cutting off the boy's oxygen. Suddenly, she wasn't so young. She let out a hideous scream as her young face transformed, and suddenly a withered old hag was pinning him to the cave wall.

"Do I look like a ghost to you? Do I look like just a poltergeist, little medium? No… no… I am so much more…"

Norman couldn't breathe; his vision was starting to go black.

"And look," he could hear her say as she loosened her grip just slightly, allowing him to gasp for air, and his vision to clear again. "Those men that you risked your life to save have abandoned you. They took their chance while I was busy with you and ran, and I let them, just so that you can understand the ugliness in all men's hearts. They abandoned you, and so did that ghost who led you here. After the men escaped his unfinished business was complete. He didn't care about you at all. No one cares about you…"

She was right; the cave was now completely empty. No one was around to save him. He really was all alone.

"And now you will die," the monster hissed. "You will die all alone and no one will care…"

Norman closed his eyes and he could feel tears running down his face.

"Yeesh, she really is ugly," a young male voice said from behind the women, causing the monstrous women to turn towards disturbance with a hiss.

Norman's eyes flew open, and he saw two young kids standing at the mouth of the cave. Norman's mouth parted in surprise when he realized he recognized these two kids from yesterday.

There was something large on the ground next to the kids and Norman couldn't quite figure out what it said until the boy flipped the switch.

"Say good night, ugly!" he yelled as a bright light filled the cave. The monstrous woman let out a blood curtailing scream as the light landed directly on her. In one swift move she dropped Norman and then with a flap of her large wings she fled the cave into the shadow of the forest. "Or in your case, good morning," the boy finished with a grin.

"Yeah! We did it," the brown-haired girl cheered. "That was super easy!"

"Too easy," the boy agreed as he turned off what looked like some kind of spotlight. "That thing is just weakened; it will come back."

However, the girl didn't seem to be listening. "Oh my gosh! Are you okay?" she asked as she ran to help Norman up. "That thing almost killed you! It's a good thing we showed up, huh?"

Norman let her pull him to his feet. She had her hands on his shoulders to steady him, and although he wasn't used to people being so grabby, he was at least glad that she was keeping him from falling over.

"Hey! I know you!" The girl said loudly into his ear. "You're the guy whose hair was all WHOOSH while we were running for our lives yesterday! Man, after we realized we weren't about to die I wanted to go back and ask you how you got your hair to stand up like that! It's totally cool!"

"You _were_ there yesterday," the brown-haired boy agreed suspiciously. "And now you're here… what are you doing here exactly?"

Norman opened his mouth to answer, but no sound came out. His throat was killing him and his head was completely rattled with what had just happened. He couldn't think straight. He had thought he was about to die, and then these two just showed up out of nowhere with what just happened to be the monster's weakness and save him.

Who were these kids?

"Well?" the boy prompted, his eyes narrowing.

"I-I was l-looking for the m-missing men…" Norman managed to stutter out.

"Oh yeah, the men!" the girl yelled. "Where are they?" She looked around the cave as if expecting to spot them.

"Th-they escaped," Norman answered. "When she was about to kill m-me they ran out."

Dipper frowned. "Wow, that's oddly convenient that you were able to find them so easily and help them escape. Who are you again?"

Norman decided to ignore the first part of the boy's question. There was no way he could explain how a ghost had lead him here. "I-I'm Norman. Norman Babcock."

Suddenly, the girl released him. She was now looking at him with suspicion too. "Norman, huh?" she asked.

Norman cast his gaze to the ground. They must have heard about him and how weird he was from the gossip around town. From their expressions they were clearly weary of him.

"Norman, if I asked you if you were human what would you say?" the girl asked suddenly.

Norman looked up in confusion. "W-what?" What was she talking about? Did the gossip she heard lead her to believe that he was some kind of monster? By the way they were looking at him that seemed to be the case.

"I-I'm human," he answered quickly, and a little bit terrified. This wasn't Massachusetts three hundred years ago, but people still got scared when presented with something that wasn't a hundred percent normal. The last thing he wanted was for these kids to start calling him a witch or monster or something.

"Sure you are," the boy agreed sarcastically. "Then how did you know where the banshee's cave was and where the men were? And is that a rope that you brought to free them?" the boy continued to bludgeon him with questions. "How did you know to do that? Why were you there when we were running from her the first time?"

"Wait!" Norman rasped. "Banshee?"

"Well, yeah!" The boy shrugged. "What else can scream like that?"

Norman was a loss for words. Sure ghosts were real, but banshees? Wasn't that just a myth? Norman couldn't remember; were banshee supposed to be related to ghosts? He knew they were supposed to be related to death somehow.

"You never answered my question, how did you know where her cave was?" the boy asked again.

Norman bit his lip. He couldn't tell them. One, they would never believe him, and two, even if they did believe him they would then have an even better reason for thinking he was a monster.

"Lucky guess," Norman lied. "I've been looking for the men all morning and just stumbled into the cave."

"With the rope?" the boy countered. "Rope that somehow you knew you would need to get the men out?"

"Th-the rope was already in the cave when I got here," Norman made up quickly.

The boy rolled his eyes. "Yes, that makes sense! A banshee would have a bunch of uses for rope," he said sarcastically.

Norman looked at the ground, heat rising quickly to his face. He couldn't tell them the truth, but the boy was smart, and Norman was running out of excuses.

"Well, how did _you_ find the cave then?" Norman countered, surprised by the spite in his own voice. He already knew these people hated him and he was losing patience with trying to be polite. If they could interrogate him, then he could do the same. "Somehow you knew that… that light was the banshee's weakness and you brought that thing with you." Norman pointed to the big light. "That's much weirder than rope in a cave."

That seemed to throw the boy off guard as he adjusted his vest self-consciously.

"Oooo…he's good," The girl commented, looking from the Norman to brown-haired boy with interest.

"That's- that's none of your business!" The boy countered, his voice breaking slightly. "We're used to this town and its weirdness, we know about things… but you, you're new. How did you know? Did you… did you _read_ about it or something?"

Norman got the impression that the boy was hinting at something, but the medium had no idea what it could be. However, Norman seemed to have found some leverage.

"No, but if you won't tell me how you knew where the monster was, and you being here is just as strange as me being here, than I don't have to tell you anything!" Norman folded his arms. He was no longer stuttering, because he was no longer nervous. He was mad. These kids show up out of nowhere with knowledge they shouldn't possess about a creature that Norman is not even sure should be real, and they have the audacity to insinuate that he isn't human!

"Fine! If that's the thanks we get for saving you, then that's fine!" the boy shouted in frustration.

Suddenly, the girl was very close to Norman again. A little too close. Norman tried to step away as she lifted her hand to touch his head. He didn't like people touching him very much. The only exception that he was learning to get used to was his sister's sudden desire to hug him a bit more. He thought that the girl was going to touch his hair, or something creepy like that, but then her hand stopped inches from his head and she frowned.

"Hey, Dipper, let's go back," she said suddenly. "Let's take Norman back to the shack. I-I think he needs a little bit of help."

The boy, apparently named Dipper, was suddenly wearing a confused expression instead of the scowl he had on seconds before. "What is it, Mabel?"

Out of nowhere, Mabel grabbed Norman's arm in her own. "I think that banshee really did a number on you. The back of your head is bleeding… like a lot," she informed Norman. Norman suddenly realized how lightheaded he was. He found himself unconsciously leaning on the girl for support.

Until then, he hadn't realized how hard the banshee had thrown him across the cave. Actually, he wouldn't be surprised if he had a pretty bad concussion.

Dipper groaned. "Alright, get him in the golf cart, I'll get the light."

"Golf cart?" Norman asked as Mabel led him to the front of the cave. Norman knew he was walking, but the movement was making him disoriented and he wasn't sure if he was walking straight. He was actually thankful that Mabel was holding onto him.

"Yeah! You don't think we carried that heavy light all the way through the forest on our own, did you? We're just kids after all!" Mabel laughed.

'_Yeah, just kids,'_ Norman thought. _'Kids who saved me from a banshee attack like it was nothing!'_

"Wh-who are you guys?" Norman asked as the girl buckled him in to the shotgun seat and then sat behind him in the empty space used for storage.

Dipper placed the light next to the girl and then sighed as he climbed into the driver's seat of the golf cart.

"We're the Mystery Twins," Dipper answered. "Now hold on tight."

And the three of them were off, shooting through the woods in a small golf cart, weaving between the trees as if the brother and sister did this every single day.

* * *

**So… they've met! But they're not exactly instantaneous best friends. Please review to let me know what you think so far! I love to hear your feedback!**


	4. The First Rule of Gravity Falls

**Do you guys know the first rule of Gravity Falls?**

* * *

**Chapter Four: The First Rule of Gravity Falls**

* * *

Norman had to admit, the Mystery Shack, or Mystery Hack as it looked like it said on top of the building, was pretty amazing. Sure, the exhibits were obviously fake but the fact that someone had transformed their house into this bizarre museum of weird things was pretty cool.

The twins had forced him behind the scenes of the weird museum to what looked like the living space. Norman found himself sitting at a kitchen table while Mabel tried to stop the bleeding on his head.

"Head wounds always bleed more," Dipper told them. "It's probably not as deep as it seems, but you might have a concussion. Do you feel tired? Have a headache?"

Mabel managed to find a large bandage for the back of his head, but was having trouble to get it to stick to his scalp with his hair in the way. Eventually she had to wrap the bandage around his whole head to get it to stay. Strangely enough, she actually seemed experienced with this stuff. She also brought him some ice for the bruise forming on his neck.

"A-A little dizzy but not tired. I think I'm going to be okay," Norman answered hesitantly. He didn't like how they were hovering over him. Norman never liked this much attention. For someone like him this much attention was bad.

However, he was starting to feel better now that he was sitting down and no longer in immediate danger. He at least thought he would be able to walk home in a straight line.

"Well… you're lucky it wasn't worse," Dipper said matter-of-factly. "Next time leave the monster hunting to us."

Norman frowned. He didn't like how condescending the boy sounded. Yeah, they did save him, and they clearly had known what was going on more than he did, but it wasn't like Norman was completely helpless in all of this.

"Yeah, next time…" Norman breathed. He still hadn't figured out what he was going to do. That monster was still going to be out there kidnapping people, and no one knew about it but the three of them. Plus, Norman didn't even know if there was something he could do. It wasn't a ghost, and it wasn't a poltergeist. Norman wasn't sure if it was related to ghosts at all. He wasn't sure if this was his responsibility as a medium, but somehow, he felt like it was.

"Mabel, we have to find something else that kills it other than light. Light just seems to weaken it; it doesn't destroy it," Dipper consulted his sister quietly.

Norman blanched. "You two are going back after it?" he asked in amazement.

Dipper scowled. "It's going to keep hurting people if we don't. Mabel and I are the only ones who know about it besides you and its other victims of course. It's our responsibility to try and stop it."

Norman looked at the ground. Dipper's heated gaze made him want to disappear. Norman thought that after all this time he would get used to people hating him.

"But can't you… I don't know… tell someone?" Norman asked quietly.

Mabel laughed. "No one's going to believe us!" However, she didn't seem particularly disturbed by this. "We have to solve this ourselves!"

"Yeah, people don't really know how to deal with the supernatural," Dipper explained. "It just kind of freaks them out or they try to ignore it. This time tomorrow you will probably convince yourself that this was all a dream."

Norman's chests tightened as he glanced at the ground. Yeah, Dipper was right on the money about how people reacted to the supernatural. After all, Norman was ignored every day of his life because people didn't want to have to deal with him and his strangeness. But the question was: how did the twins know about this little aspect of human nature so well?

"This isn't the first weird thing you've seen, is it?" Norman asked.

Dipper waved him off. "That's not really your concern. After all, you won't be honest with us so why should we be honest with you?"

Mabel blew a raspberry. "Come on, Dipper! You don't have to be so paranoid. Besides, maybe he can help!"

Dipper huffed in annoyance. "Mabel, remember the first rule of Gravity Falls?"

This caused a smile to fall from her lips. "Yeah, but-"

"No buts! Rules are there for a reason."

Mabel blew a piece of hair from her face. "Yeah… to break."

Her brother rolled his eyes.

"Hey, you kids home?" An older man called from the tourist side of the shack. "I need someone to man the fort while I make another attraction for the new marks-" The older man's sentence broke off when he saw they had company. "I mean… the paying customers… err… who's this kid?"

"Grunkle Stan this is-" Mabel began, but the man cut her off.

"Hey, I know you! You're that weird kid that talks to himself!"

Norman could feel his face getting red.

"Yeah, that's right; you're on vacation here, aren't you?" the old man continued.

The fraternal twins exchanged identical glances.

"Umm… I don't…" Norman tried to respond.

"You know him, Grunkle Stan?" Dipper asked with suspicion clear in his voice.

Grunkle Stan, whatever a 'Grunkle' was, shrugged. "Heard of him. He a friend of yours or something, Mabel? You do collect weird things."

"We saved him from a banshee!" Mabel explained. "It was all in a day's work."

"Speaking of work…" the older man interrupted. "Chop, chop we have a few more costumers to suck dry before the day is out. You going to buy anything, new kid?"

"Umm…" Norman tried to answer when suddenly his vision was obscured by a sweater.

Mabel was suddenly hugging his head. "Grunkle Stan," she admonished. "Norman here has had a traumatic experience and you're trying to get money out of him! He needs to go home and get some rest! Doctor Mabel's orders." Norman felt a poke in the chest and the same time Mabel said, "Boop!"

Norman looked down to see that he now had a sticker of a smiling cat on his jacket.

"There you go!" Mabel said as she helped him stand up. "Now go on home and don't worry about a thing!" she said as she led him to the door.

The girl was so touchy-feely, and smiley. It was weird. At least she wasn't suspicious of him and glaring at him as if he wasn't human like her brother was, but somehow this was even more uncomfortable for Norman. After all, he was used to people hating him, he wasn't used to people clinging on him and giving him cat stickers.

"Me and Dipper will take care of everything!" She assured him.

"But what about-"

"Don't worry about it! We got it covered!"

"Yeah, but you know, if you feel like telling us how you found the cave," Dipper hinted, "then we might be able to talk. But until then, just forget about everything that happened."

Norman rolled his eyes as he turned to walk home. And people thought he was weird? Those two twins… those mystery twins, as they called themselves, had to be the weirdest people he had ever met. And Norman had met the living dead.

A part of him wondered if he should have told them what he could do. After all, they did seem to know about what was happening more than he did. On the other hand, how could he tell them? How could he even begin to explain that he could talk to ghosts and that a ghost was the one who lead him to the cave? That Dipper kid already thought he was some kind of inhuman freak, and that girl… Norman shuddered. He didn't even want to think about what her reaction would be.

"_Hey Norman! Are you okay? What happened? I've been looking for you all day!" _

Norman turned to see his friend Cheyenne floating towards him with a look of worry on her young face.

* * *

Dipper knew that kid had been hiding something, and so he did what any reasonable paranormal investigator would have done. He followed him. In fact, Dipper didn't have to follow him for long before things got really weird.

Suddenly, the kid turned around to face what looked like empty air with a smile on his face.

"Hey, Cheyenne!" he had greeted, only to get no response, because there was nothing there. However, Norman just laughed uncomfortably and rubbed the back of his neck.

"No, I'm fine, I'm fine," Norman said to the space in front of him. "But I found out what has been kidnapping people, and I still can't believe it myself."

A pause.

"It's called a banshee. No, I'm not really sure what that is yet. I'm going to look it up when I get home."

Another pause.

"I don't know what I'm going to do about it yet. I don't know if there is anything I can do."

There was a long pause where Norman started to look a little worried. "No, don't worry; I'm sure it won't come after you! I don't think it can hurt you. No, I don't know for sure... listen, if it does come after you I'll keep you safe."

A shorter pause.

"Yes, I promise."

Norman continued to walk home after that, and Dipper knew it would be hard to trail him now that Norman already knew his face.

Dipper couldn't understand it. Their great uncle told them that the kid talks to himself, but this was just too weird. It was like he was holding a conversation with someone else. And yeah, the kid did try to go after a banshee on his own, but Norman didn't strike Dipper as crazy. Weird and maybe not human, but not crazy.

Dipper flipped through the journal. There was nothing in the journal about people talking to invisible people, or people that aren't there, or anything of the like. Although, since Norman wasn't exactly from Gravity Falls it would make sense that this strange phenomenon, whatever it was, would not be in the journal.

Dipper headed home after that, just as Norman was doing. It was still early in the afternoon, but Dipper had more than enough of hunting banshees for now. He and his sister would probably hang out around the shack and have a good time together.

Dipper didn't really think about how nice it was to be able to discuss the weirdness in this town with his sister. He would take for granted how easy it was to speculate about a plan of attack for tomorrow with someone just as excited as he was.

Dipper, forever a twin with constant companionship, would never think about how the quiet boy who talked to empty air would have to keep this all inside as he waked home alone.

* * *

**So I just want to point out that if you think you might have a concussion (especially if you hit your head so bad it's bleeding) you should probably go to your doctor instead of taking care of it on your own. Also, if anyone ever chokes you, and even if you don't pass out, you should also go to the doctor because it's easy for someone to think they're fine after being choked, but then suffocate latter because throats can swell and cut of oxygen supply... These are twelve year olds so they really aren't aware of that (nor do they want to call the hospital and have to explain themselves), but I just want you to be aware that you shouldn't take medical advice from the Pines twins in this chapter.**

**Please don't forget to review! I love hearing from you guys and any suggestions or predictions you have!**


	5. Home Is Where the Secrets are Kept

**Chapter Five: Home Is Where the Secrets are Kept**

* * *

"Oh Norman, you're home!" his mother said in surprise. "I thought you were going to be with Courtney all day… Norman, are you okay?" His mother kneeled down to inspect the back of his head. "Did something happen? Why are you hurt?"

Norman backed away from his mother before she could get a good look at it. "It's nothing mom, I just slipped at the mall and hit my head. I'm fine though, I was just going to go lay down."

"Courtney made you come home alone?" his mother asked, her eyes narrowing.

"I didn't hit my head that hard. Besides, I was getting bored at the mall anyway and I didn't want to make Courtney leave her friends." Norman wondered when he stared to lie so much to his mother. It's weird; it's been happening more and more ever since his parents started believing him about the ghost stuff. Maybe Norman was afraid of worrying them? Or maybe he was afraid of weirding them out too much?

"Well, if you're sure you're okay…" his mother agreed reluctantly. "Who gave you the bandage?" And then a smile crossed his mother's face. "And who gave you that kitty sticker?"

Norman looked down at the sticker and rolled his eyes. "These two kids helped me out. The girl gave me the sticker," Norman explained. "Though I'm not sure why," Norman added in confusion under his breath.

"Oh, and are these two kids friends of yours?" his mother asked hopefully.

Norman sighed. "No mom, I'm pretty sure they don't like me." _Surprise surprise._

His mom frowned. "Well, maybe that's because they don't know you yet?"

"In my experience people like me less when they get to know me," Norman crossed his hands over his chest. His head was starting to hurt. He really wanted to go lay down.

"Sweetie… that's not true."

Norman glanced up at his mom's face only to realize she suddenly looked really sad. That hadn't been his intention. Norman back peddled fast.

"I-I know, mom. I don't know why I said that."

A lie.

"I guess I'm just tired. I didn't mean it."

Another lie.

"Well, that's okay." His mom put a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you rest up so you're fresh for dinner?"

"Okay mom."

* * *

The first thing Norman did when he got to his room was run for his dresser. He opened it up and pulled out the comb he had found in the forest the other day. The banshee had said it was her comb and that she used to lure men into her trap. Norman wondered if she needed this particular one, or if she had many of them. Would she come after it?

Norman could feel something kind of energy coming from the comb that gave his goosebumps. It didn't feel the way a ghost's energy did. It didn't tickled Norman's skin as if there was an electrical current in the air. This was a cold energy that barley felt like energy at all. It was more like a void that sucked in all happiness and warmth. It struck Norman as _very wrong_ and a part of him wanted to throw it out the window.

Norman wondered if he should have told Dipper and Mabel about the comb. He was starting to think that he should have. If they were going to continue to try and get rid of the banshee then they should have all the possible information. However, Norman doubted they wanted to see him again.

The girl didn't really seem to mind him, which baffled Norman slightly, but her friendly nature also reminded him a bit of Neil, so that seemed to put her behavior into perspective. However, the boy defiantly saw him as some sort of threat.

Norman sighed and rested his head against his pillow and closed his eyes. Today had been so crazy. Not just because of the banshee, but because he met two kids that might even be weirder than him.

Norman's eyes snapped open. He realized he had never thanked them for saving his life.

* * *

When Courtney got back hours later Norman went to see her. They had no internet in the cabin they were renting so the only way Norman could get online was if he used his sister's phone, and his phone didn't have internet capability. However, asking for his sister's phone was probably more dangerous than facing down a banshee and an angry poltergeist combined.

Norman knocked on his sister's door timidly and entered.

"Courtney? Can I ask you a favor?"

"Hmm?" his sister asked as she lay on her bed and typed wildly on her phone. Norman had a feeling she was barely even listening to him.

"Can I borrow your phone?"

_That_ got her attention. "What?" She sat up. "No way! Why do you want my phone?"

"I-I need to look up something on the internet. I'll be quick, I promise."

Instead of answering with a yes or no, now that Courtney was finally looking at Norman, she couldn't seem to stop. Her mouth had fallen open, and to Norman, she looked a bit like a dead fish.

"Norman!" She gasped. "You're neck! What happened to you?"

Norman quickly tried to cover his neck with his hand. "N-nothing!" he stammered quickly.

"That is _not _nothing!" Courtney almost screeched. "Those bruises… they… they look like a hand print. Who choked you?" His sister looked ready to murder someone.

Norman had hoped bruises wouldn't form from that incident, but now he realized that had been too much to ask.

"No one!" Norman tried to calm her. "A-at least not a person… well, maybe she is a person… or was? That's why I need your phone!"

"Oh my god, Norman! Did a ghost do that to you?" Courtney leaned down and tried to inspect Norman's neck, but he shied away from her.

"No, ghosts can do that. I think… I think it was a banshee, but I didn't think those were real. I wanted to google a banshee so I could figure out what it is."

"Norman," Courtney said his name harshly, as if he were completely missing the point. "You were attacked! A-And it looks like… oh my god, it looks like that thing tried to kill you."

Norman swallowed and looked away from his sister.

"Did you… did you almost die while I went to the mall?" she half-screamed, her face incredulous. She looked extremely upset; like if he explained any more details she might cry or just settle for yelling at him some more. He had not expected her to react like this.

"Courtney, just clam down! I'm fine, I promise."

"And those men… the ones that were abducted… they came back today too. Did you do that?" She was looked at him in awe and Norman couldn't meet her gaze.

"A-a ghost told m-me where they were being held so I had to go and save them." Norman shrugged. "But the… the banshee came back while I was still in her cave. I'm fine though. Some people saved me, but they still think the banshee is out there and I need to know more about-"

Norman was cut off by the smothering hug his sister was giving him.

"While I went to the mall you saved three lives," she breathed in amazement and Norman couldn't help but blush.

"Courtney stop… it's not like I had much of a choice! I couldn't just leave them there!"

Courtney let go of her brother. "You did have a choice, Norman. And I'm proud of you… but you almost got yourself killed. You should have at least told me what you were going to do."

Norman shrugged and looked away.

"You're not alone, you know. You can… tell me things," Courtney insisted.

"I-I know…" Norman agreed hesitantly. "Does this mean you'll let me use you phone?" He asked hopefully.

Courtney sighed. "Fine. What do you want me to look up?"

Norman sat beside her on her bed. "What a banshee is."

Courtney hesitated. "Are you sure that's what it was?"

Norman shrugged. "Well, it wasn't a ghost and it wasn't a poltergeist and the people that saved me were very certain it was a banshee. And it sure did scream like one."

Courtney typed a few letters on her phone and then read, "The banshee is a female spirit in Irish mythology, usually seen as an omen of death and a messenger from the Otherworld. In legend, a banshee wails nearby if someone is about to die."

"Spirit? Like a ghost? Norman mumbled to himself. "She used to be alive?

Courtney skipped down to the bottom and found something more relevant. "The tales sometimes recounted that the woman, though called a fairy, was a ghost, often of a specific murdered woman, or a mother who died in childbirth."

Courtney watched as Norman's eyes hardened with determination.

"I don't understand," Courtney began. "This all sounds like fairytale stuff. I mean, Irish mythology, right? It can be real."

"Real enough to throw me against a wall," Norman countered quietly to himself, his hand going to his sore throat.

"And why was it so important to know if she used to be alive or not?"

Norman looked up at his sister's confused expression and hesitated. He wasn't sure if he would be able to explain it to her. He barely understood it himself.

"Because…" he said slowly. "Because I'm a medium, Courtney." Courtney didn't have any reaction to this so he continued to explain further. "It's my job to help ghosts' crossover. I try to do whatever I can to help. A lot of them are my friends, but I still know that they don't belong here. I… I don't know how… but I feel it when something doesn't belong in this world. If this banshee was ever a person, like that article seems to say, than it's my job to stop it from hurting people and to help her cross over."

"Norman, you're twelve years old! Your 'job' is to just be a kid."

Norman frowned. "Courtney, do you see any other medium around here that can take over while I go 'be a kid'?"

Courtney pressed her lips together unhappily. "No, but-"

"If there is something I can do to help, I have to try, Courtney! I can't just ignore this if other people are going to get hurt."

Courtney shook her head. "Okay, okay, I get it… kinda. But you have to promise me one thing or I'm going to get mom and dad right now and tell them what you've been up to!"

Norman glared at her. He really didn't want their parents involved and Courtney knew it too. "What is it?"

His sister held up a strict finger. "Promise me that you will never go after that banshee thing alone! And ghosts don't count!"

"Courtney!"

"I mean it Norman! You may be a medium, but that thing is dangerous, and horrible, and it almost killed you! We are_ not _going to go looking for your body the woods_ again_ thinking some horrible ghost-" Courtney cut herself off, blinking rapidly. His sister took a deep breath. "Point is, I know you feel like you have this responsibility, but you don't have to do it alone. You have to bring at least one person with you if you are going to do something even remotely dangerous, got it?"

Norman signed. "Okay, okay, got it. It's not like I was planning to go after her without some kind of plan. I really don't think talking is going to work."

Courtney let out a breath of relief. "Good, now come on, I have to fix you up."

"W-what do you mean," Norman asked.

"You might have gotten your bruised neck past mom the first time, but mom and dad are going to notice it eventually, especially if it keeps getting darker like this. Unless you want mom and dad to find out that you almost got yourself killed today, then I need to show you the wonders of make-up."

Norman's eyes grew wide. "Oh… oh no…"

* * *

**Next chapter Norman and Dipper get some more interaction. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Please review!**


	6. Dipper Likes a Good Mystery

**Hey guys! I really wanted to just take a second and thank ****Novanto****, ****Wanderer of Fortuna****, ****JKL-FFF, ****KillerLightbulb****, ****SioDymph**** and ****discogirl-comingthrough**** (on tumblr) for reviewing! I really really appreciate it you guys!**

* * *

**Chapter Six: Dipper Likes a Good Mystery**

* * *

Dipper, his sister and his Grunkle Stan were at the same booth, had the same waiter (Lazy Susan) and ate at the same dinner they did every time they decided to go out for breakfast. Usually the same families would come to eat at the diner every week. However, this time Dipper happened to recognize to recognize a new family. Well, he recognized the kid from the family at least.

"Hey, Mabel, look. It's the same kid from yesterday."

Mabel spun around, grinning. "Where?"

"Shh," Dipper hushed. Luckily the kid didn't seem to notice. When the kid had come in with his family Dipper had watched him wave silently to an empty table, and then sit down with what Dipper assumed to be his mother, father and sister. "I don't think he's noticed us yet."

"We should go say hi," Mabel suggested.

"No way!" Dipper crossed his arms. "That kid is hiding something, I know he is!"

Mabel tilted her head to the side. "Yeah… so? This whole town is hiding something. It's that why you like it here?"

Dipper couldn't think of a good comeback for that one.

"You're just mad that Norman knew more than you did, and that he wouldn't tell you how he knew," Mabel continued, a knowing expression on her face. "You like mysteries, Dipper," she reminded him emphatically. "So what if he's hiding something? The Dipper I know would do anything to find out what it is."

Dipper blinked. Sometimes it surprised him just how well his twin knew him.

Dipper looked over at Norman and his family, and found something odd going on with the pale kid (well, odder than usual). Norman was twitching slightly. His eyes kept moving to different parts of the room, and every once in a while he would glance over his shoulder. He looked annoyed, but also a bit pained, like he was hearing something he didn't like.

Suddenly, the boy whispered something harshly. Dipper barely heard it, but it helped that he was currently looking at the boy, and was able to read his lips. "Look, just go away," Norman had said, and Dipper knew he wasn't talking to anyone at the table.

"Norman, are you okay?" his mother had asked, and all conversation at that table had stopped.

"I thought we discussed this, Norman?" Norman's father grumbled, and Dipper immediately saw Norman's expression of annoyance crumble into reserved sadness.

"S-sorry… they're just… so loud." Norman gripped the table and sent a hateful glare to the empty space next to him. "I-I have to go to the bathroom." Norman stood up and practically ran to the bathroom as fast as he could without running into other customers.

"Dad!" the teenager that must have been Norman's sister yelled angrily.

"What? What did I do?" his father asked defensively.

"Perry, I thought you were going to be more accepting of Norman's gif?" the women that must have been Norman's mother asked with a look of disappointment.

"I do accept his gift, but we're on vacation, and I asked him not to, you know… do _that_ while we're here."

Dipper watched as Norman's older sister glowered at her father. "Dad, you can't just tell Norman to stop. It's… it's a part of him…" the teenager said carefully. "It's a part of him in a totally weird way that I don't understand _at all_! But… he can't just, like, stop being who he is."

"You don't think I know that?" the girl's father shot right back. "I know that it's a part of him. It always has been even before I even knew exactly what it was. But Courtney, you know how hard it is for Norman to make friends. I was hoping he could get a fresh start and make some here. You know, so he can have a normal childhood for at least one summer?"

Norman's mother and sister had been thrown into a stunned silence by Perry's unexpected speech.

"But how is he going to make any friends if he keeps doing _that._" Perry finished in frustration.

Courtney sighed and shook her head. "I know dad, and so does Norman. He's a really smart kid; he knows how people see him. He knows people don't really like him…"

"Courtney, that's not true!" Norman's mother disagreed, horrified.

"It is, mom. I don't think you realize how much he's bullied, and he doesn't even have to tell people the truth to be ridiculed. I get what you were trying to do, dad, but I don't think it's possible for Norman to have a normal childhood. What he needs isn't people to like him because he's acting normal, but for people to accept him for who he really is. And telling him not to be himself is not showing Norman that you accept him, even if you were trying to do it for his own good."

Dipper and Mabel shared a long glance, having both overheard the family's heated conversation.

'_Well, this is interesting,'_ Dipper thought.

"Yeesh, family drama," Stan grumbled to himself as he continued to dig into his breakfast.

"I'm… going to go to the bathroom," Dipper announced suddenly, and he noticed Mabel flash him a grin.

* * *

Before Dipper entered the bathroom, he could hear Norman talking to… whatever it was he was talking to all the time, if anything at all. His parents and sister seemed to know about it and they called it a gift. However, it also seemed like it was something Norman couldn't stop from doing even if he wanted to.

"Okay, I promise, I'll help you later." Norman sounded frustrated. "I told everyone else that I would help them when I could, and I promise I will help you too, just please let me eat breakfast with my family."

There was a short silence and then: "I don't know when I can. I have a big list of people that need my help, but I promise I will get to everyone. I just… I can't do this all at once."

Another bout of silence and then, "Thank you. Okay, I'll see you-."

Dipper chose this moment to walk in. The two of them stared at each other for an uncomfortable about of time.

Finally, Dipper spoke up. "Umm, hi again?" he offered.

"Uhh, hi..." Norman's voice was soft, and he glanced at the ground in embarrassment.

"So… who were you talking to?" Dipper ventured, looking around the bathroom for good measure to make sure they were alone.

"N-no one," Norman stuttered, his face turning red.

However, this time, instead of being annoyed or distrustful over the fact that the kid was obviously lying to him, Dipper found himself growing ever more curious.

Unfortunately, Dipper knew he had to let the subject drop for now. Norman just looked so uncomfortable, and Dipper thought about what Norman's sister had said about kids bullying Norman for being different.

"Okay, well… I saw you in the restaurant and I just came in here to apologize."

Norman's eyes grew wide. "W-what?"

Dipper shrugged. "I was kind of a jerk to you because you wouldn't tell me everything I wanted to know, and I didn't really think about how there might be a reason _why_ you didn't want to tell me. I mean…" Dipper shrugged. "Everyone has their secrets, right?"

Norman nodded silently.

"So I guess I just wanted to say I was sorry, and I also wanted to make sure you were okay… you know, from yesterday."

Dipper waited for Norman to say something, but the kid just kept staring at him as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Uhh, Norman? You are okay, right?" Dipper prompted.

Norman seemed to shake himself out of whatever stupor he was in. "Y-yeah, sorry… yeah, I'm fine. I-I just didn't expect you to- w-well, I mean, thank you. I-In fact, that's what I've been meaning to do, say thank you that is!"

"Huh?"

Norman blushed again. "I've been meaning to thank you, you know, for saving me. If you and your sister hadn't shown up…"

Dipper waved this off. "Don't worry about it, man. I'm glad we came in time. And truthfully, if you hadn't been there with the rope, we wouldn't have been able to save the men right away. We owe you too."

Norman glanced away awkwardly and Dipper resisted the urge to ask him again how he knew to bring the rope.

Maybe the kid was psychic? That was just one of the many possibilities that Dipper had considered; Invisible people that only Norman could see was another theory. The fact that Norman was just plain crazy was a possibility as well, but he doubted Norman's family would consider that a gift.

"Umm, that's it, I guess?" Dipper finished awkwardly when Norman didn't say anything else. He wondered if the kid really didn't like him. I guess that made sense since Dipper had been so cold to him the other day.

Norman surprised Dipper when he suddenly spoke up, a thoughtful expression on his face. "A-Actually, there has been something I've been meaning to tell you too. When I first saw you guys running from the forest I went to go check it out. I found this white, old comb in the woods. It was weird… it was like I was drawn to it." Norman paused fearfully, like he was worried he had shared too much.

Dipper, however, was watching him with renewed interest.

"I-It felt weird that it was just sitting there, so I brought it home. But the other day, when the banshee showed up in her cave, she said that I had stolen the comb from her and that she used it to lure men into her trap."

"What?" Dipper yelled loudly, making Norman flinch. "Why didn't you tell us that sooner?"

Norman shrugged. "I-I don't know, I didn't think about it until I got home."

Dipper grabbed Norman by the shoulders and shook him slightly. "This is huge! This is the only lead we have!"

"I can… bring it to your house today…" Norman asked slowly. "If you want to see it…"

Dipper grinned. "Really? That's perfect! Thanks, man!" Dipper couldn't believe this! This kid had come through for him in a way he hadn't expected. Dipper happened to notice that the kid was finally smiling. It was small, but it was the first one Dipper had seen on the kid.

"I have to admit," Dipper said with new appreciation. "You've actually taken this supernatural stuff really well. Most people just tend to repress it or something. The guys that you rescued have already told the media a more realistic story. And they're not lying either, they've actually convinced themselves that the whole thing had been some sort of elaborate prank someone pulled on them. They said that the guy who died was really killed by a mountain lion. But you…you got the worst of the attack and you haven't forgotten."

Norman shrugged. "I don't want to forget," Norman admitted. "If that thing attacks again then I want to know what it is."

Dipper nodded with a smile. "Exactly! Ignoring supernatural things might make people feel safer, but that doesn't mean they are safer!"

Dipper was surprised to hear Norman let out a small laugh. "Yeah, definitely not," Norman agreed.

They smiled at each other. "Well, I better get back to the table," Dipper told him. "See you later today?"

Norman nodded. "S-sure, I'll bring it over this afternoon."

* * *

Sandra watched as her son returned to the table. She noticed her son's expression was less downcast than when he first left the table, which gave Sandra some hope.

"Everything okay, sweetie?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah… it's fine…" Norman said with a shrug.

Sandra sighed mentally. Norman always tried to shut her out, and whether he did it purposefully or not, Sandra wasn't sure. Now that they believed Norman could talk to the dead, and that he wasn't just making it up, she expected Norman to talk to them about it more. However, ever since the incident with the witch's curse, Norman had been talking about his gift less and less.

'_At least,'_ Sandra thought to herself, '_he's been opening up to Courtney more.'_

The Babcock family finished their breakfast in an uneasy silence.

And then, from the corner of her eye Sandra saw Norman wave to someone.

Sandra had gotten used to not looking when Norman did things like that, because most of the time there wasn't anything to look at.

Apparently her husband assumed the same, because he sighed in annoyance. "Norman…"

But then he stopped, because Perry realized that there were two kids that were waving back to Norman. The two similar looking brown-haired kids seemed to be about Norman's age. The girl was waving a bit too enthusiastically, but other than that they seemed pretty normal… and well, they weren't dead so that was a step up from Norman's usual friends.

Sandra watched as the two kids left with an older gentleman that looked too old to be their father.

Sandra couldn't help herself, she just had to ask. "Are those two kids your friends, Norman?"

Norman suddenly seemed to realize that his entire family was now looking at him in surprise and he sank a little in his chair.

"N-no, I just know them from yesterday."

"Maybe you should invite them over," Sandra prompted. "You three might have fun together."

Norman shrugged. "Maybe…"

* * *

**There we go! It looks like those two are on their way towards some kind of friendship… maybe… you'll see. **

**Please review!**


	7. Loneliness and a Little Bit of Hope

**Chapter Seven: Loneliness and a Little Bit of Hope**

* * *

Later that afternoon, Norman took off to the Mystery Shack with the comb tucked securely in his backpack. Norman has just finished helping out a long list of ghosts who were in desperate need of a medium. It seemed like a good majority of the ghosts in town had found him at breakfast this morning, and after promising that he would help each and every one of them later, they finally left him alone. However, now he was stuck with a long list of ghosts in Gravity Falls that all wanted something from him.

Norman knocked on the Mystery Shack door. The door opened on its own and suddenly there was a burst of light and smoke. In the middle of the scene, with a fez and cane, stood the twin's 'grunkle' Stan. Norman was still unsure about what the word 'grunkle' meant.

The older man's face fell when he saw who had knocked on the door.

"Oh, it's you," Stand grumbled. "I don't suppose you've come to check out the gift shop, have you? We have a huge two for one sale- you pay me twice for one item."

Norman shrugged self-consciously. "I don't have any money…"

Stan sighed. "Of course you don't. Well, go on up. They're in the attic."

Norman nodded and headed for the stairs, unsure of what the twins would be doing in the attic.

Norman knocked on the attic door. There was scrambling behind the door, and it when it was pulled open Norman stood looking at a bubbly Mabel.

"Normy!" she yelled and pulled him into a crushing hug.

Norman stood uncomfortably still. He wasn't used to people hugging him and he wasn't sure how to respond. And was it just him, or was this hug lasting for a weirdly long time?

"Umm?" Norman asked hesitantly. He didn't want to be rude but he kind of wanted the girl to stop crushing him.

Suddenly, Mabel was pulled away from him with a sigh from Dipper.

"Mabel, stop already, you're making him uncomfortable with your craziness."

The girl just giggled. "What? He looked like he needed a hug, right Norman?"

Dipper interjected quickly so Norman didn't have to answer. "Don't mind my sister, you get used to her. Come on in." Dipper stepped aside so Norman could enter the room.

In awe, Norman realized that the attic was actually a large bedroom for the two twins. Their sides had been clearly marked. Where Mabel's side had clothes and yarn everywhere, pink posters of rainbows and boy bands, Dipper's side was slightly neater, although with a few pieces of dirty laundry on the floor, and above his bed hung binoculars and a bunch of gear that looked perfect for adventuring in the woods.

"So, did you bring it?" Dipper asked eagerly.

Norman stepped into the room and removed his backpack. Searching through it quickly, Norman pulled out the plain white comb. Norman shuttered, even looking at it made his chest tighten and the hair on his arms stand on end.

He handed it off to Dipper. "See? It's not normal. It feels off, and gives me a… creepy feeling." Norman hedged the truth a little bit. The void-like feeling he got from the comb was more than just creepy, it was evil. However, he couldn't explain that to Dipper. Besides, Dipper could feel it for himself.

"It just looks like a normal old comb to me," Dipper said with a frown as he examined it closer. "I don't get a creepy feeling."

Norman's heart sank. "O-oh." Norman felt so stupid. He could only feel the energy because of his gift. He didn't even think about that possibility. This continued to confirm the idea that the banshee was some kind of ghost, but it also made Norman looked like he was crazy or lying about the comb.

"You said she mentioned this comb when she attacked you?" Dipper asked.

"Y-yeah, she said I wasn't meant to find it."

"Maybe that means she is going to want it back?" Dipper mumbled mostly to himself.

"Let me see it!" Mabel swooped down and snatched the comb from Dipper's hand. Dipper looked slightly annoyed but waited for her to inspect it.

"Wow, it's pretty." She used it to comb her hair.

"Mabel! What are you doing? That thing could be cursed!" Dipper yelled.

But Mabel wasn't listening; she just continued to comb her hair. "Weird…" she muttered. "Usually my hair always comes out in combs." She combed it a few more times. "But my hair isn't coming out at all! Oh! It's making my hair really smooth!" Mabel squealed happily.

Dipper took it back from her. "So, it is supernatural then?" Dipper asked her. "Now that I think about it, it does feel weirdly cold…like it's not warming up in my hand."

Norman shrugged. "I didn't know what to do with it. She hasn't come to get it, and there haven't been any more kidnappings. Maybe she's stopped?"

"You found the comb after you saw us running out of the woods right?" Dipper asked.

Norman nodded.

"We were in there because we heard of the four men that disappeared, and we wanted to find out what was taking them. After you found the comb people stopped disappearing. Maybe she really does need the comb to kidnap men?" Dipper deducted.

"So that means Norman could have saved a bunch of people by finding it!" Mabel beamed. "Maybe he stopped that banshee forever!"

Dipper frowned. "Maybe… or maybe she will just come after us for having the comb."

Norman felt his chest tighten. If that was true, he may be putting them in danger by giving it to the twins.

"Maybe I should take it back to my house then," Norman suggested quickly. "She might come after you two if you keep it." Norman reached for the comb but Dipper held it away from him.

"No, she knows that you had the comb last. If anything she will come after you, and we can't let her get this back no matter what."

"Unless she can sense where the comb is, and then she will come here," Norman countered.

Dipper shrugged. "Yeah, maybe, but we don't know if she can do that. Plus, we're the ones that fought her off before, remember?"

Norman could feel himself getting frustrated. "With light, right? Now that I know about that I can use it too. Besides, light only hurts her. It might not be enough to stop her from getting the comb."

"Look Norman, I'm sorry you got dragged into this, but you have to admit that it does make more sense that Mabel and I keep the comb. Besides, it's our responsibility-"

"I found the comb, so it's my responsibility!" Norman snapped back. "And if I let you keep it it's going to be my fault if you two get hurt!" He was the medium. It was his job to understand and protect people from this ghost stuff. Why was Dipper so insistent that it was his and Mabel's responsibility? The banshee knew that Norman had the comb last. Although Dipper was right and the twins keeping the comb might confuse the banshee at first, it would still put the twins in a lot of unnecessary danger. The banshee wouldn't have any reason to come after Dipper and Mabel if they just gave it to Norman, and the twins knew that too. So why wouldn't they just give it back? Norman regretted ever showing them the comb.

"Norman, it's okay," Mabel said as she put a hand on his shoulder. "I know you're worried about us, but we are used to dangerous stuff like this! We don't even know if the banshee is going to be able to come after it at all. She hasn't done it yet, right? Maybe she can only stay in the forest."

"I guess…" Norman grumbled.

"And you're already protecting us because the banshee thinks you have the comb," Mabel continued. "Like it or not we're all in this mystery together!"

Dipper frowned at this. "Mabel…"

Mabel smiled widely at her brother. "Come on Dipper, you know he's in way too deep to get out now. We might not really trust each other yet, but we can still help each other. We're helping each other already!"

"By helping each other you mean that I put you guys in more danger," Norman sulked. That was just like his gift to get people in more trouble.

Mabel shook her head. "No, by helping I mean how you've stopped the banshee's attacks for now and saved three people. Me and Dipper… we saved you and knew about the banshee's weakness. Alone we couldn't have gotten all that done. Not even between the two of us, Dipper, and you know it."

Dipper's eyebrows knotted in a frustrated. "I don't like bringing other people into this stuff, but Mabel's right. You're already in danger anyway, and you already know everything we do. I guess we don't have to completely trust each other or know everything about each other to work together."

Mabel wrapped her arm around Norman's shoulder. "So, what do you say Norman? Wanna work with us?"

Norman looked at the ground, considering their offer. Norman wasn't used to working with other people, especially not about this paranormal stuff, and it's not like he could use his gift while they were around. However, these kids did seem to know what was going on better than he did. They knew about the banshee and its weakness, so they would definitely be helpful. Plus, they didn't intend on giving Norman back the comb, and Norman had a feeling he needed that to stop the banshee.

There was a little voice tugging at the back of Norman's mind that pleaded with him to agree. These kids were weird, yes, but they weren't all bad. Mabel was a little too friendly, but she also made him feel welcome. Dipper, on the other hand, was much more cautious, and Norman could definitely understand that attitude. Norman had never met another person that understood or seemed to love the supernatural as much as Dipper did, except for maybe himself. Norman couldn't help but wonder what else he might have in common with Dipper, and maybe they could even be friends? Maybe he could be friends with both of them? At least the twins were the first living people in this town to not be completely turned off by how weird he was.

With a heart filled with loneliness and a little bit of hope, Norman nodded in agreement. "Okay."

"Great!" Mabel squeezed Norman with another hug.

"What are we going to do now?" Norman asked, and the twins exchanged an excited glance. Norman always felt a bit weirded out when they did that. It was like they could read each other's minds. It was especially weird because the twins were so different, and yet there were times like this where they synced up so perfectly.

"Well, we were thinking…" Dipper began.

"Since we're all on summer vacation and vacations are supposed to be fun…" Mabel continued.

"Not that hunting banshee's isn't fun, but…" Dipper added.

"We should have a different kind of fun together." Mabel finished with a grin.

Norman was getting tired of looking back and forth between them as they finished each other's sentences. "Could you guys maybe not do that? I know this is probably some crazy twin thing, but it's a little disturbing."

Norman surprised himself with that remark. Insulting them was probably not the best way to make friends, but Norman relaxed when he heard them laugh like they were used to hearing that.

"What we mean is, our Grunkle Stan got us a bunch of all-day passes for the carnival that just came to town," Dipper explained. "Want to come with us?"

Norman blinked. He hadn't been expecting that. "Ummm… I don't know… doesn't he want to go with you guys? I mean, he did buy you the tickets."

Dipper snorted. "Stan rarely pays for anything. I think he made a deal with one of the carnies… something about drumming up business for both of them. I think he knew that guy from jail or something. Anyway, we got a bunch of free passes out of the deal."

"So, you wanna go?" Mabel asked again with a grin.

Norman still hesitated. He wanted to go with them, he really did. A day at the carnival with two kids his age? A day where he could just be normal for once? But he hesitated, because every time he thought something was going to go his way, or he thought he could at least try and be normal, something always ruined it.

Mabel's almost blinding grin sank into a frown when Norman didn't answer. "Unless you have other plans?" she asked miserably.

"Mabel, Norman probably has other friends he wants to hang out with," Dipper said while placing a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder. "He probably doesn't want to hang out with us."

Suddenly, Mabel's eyes were huge, and pleading. "Is that true? Do you not like us?"

Norman shifted uncomfortably. "No! That's not it at all!" Norman wanted to hang out with them more than anything. He wanted them to consider him their friend. But he was afraid. He didn't want to make a mistake and have them look at him like he was a total freak. The twins were smart and perceptive. If he hung out with them Norman would have to be extra careful and he wasn't sure if he could handle the stress.

"Then…" Mabel said slowly. "Is it me? Do you not like me?" she asked almost in tears.

"No!" Norman shouted in panic. "I like both of you! I do!"

_Maybe even more than I thought I was going to… _

Mabel's face brightened. "So does this mean you will come to the carnival with us?"

Darn, now he couldn't say 'no' without hurting her feelings.

Norman signed and nodded, resigned to his fate.

Mabel squealed and threw her arms around him in a hug that only managed to make Norman feel more uncomfortable. Norman was going to have to make sure he was extra careful around the twins so they wouldn't discover his gift, but it wasn't like Mabel gave Norman much of a choice. He would have to risk it.

Norman's stomach fluttered with excitement. He was going to a carnival with two people that might even be his friends. They certainly treated him like he was their friend. Norman really hoped this wasn't one of those 'too good to be true' things.

"Yay! Norman's coming! Come on, Dipping Sauce, let's go!"

"Alright, hold on, let me get the passes."

There was a mad scramble around the room and Norman was having trouble processing the sudden change in mood until something occurred to him.

"Come on, Norman," Dipper called as he and his sister exited the door and headed down the stairs. "The carnival awaits!"

"Wait a minute…" Norman spoke up as he slowly followed the two twins. "Did you guys trick me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about Norman," Dipper responded flippantly as the three of them reached the bottom of the stairs.

Norman's mouth fell open. "You did! You two did trick me!"

"Mabel, do you know what he's talking about?" Dipper asked, now in the main room of the shack.

"No idea, brother of mine," Mabel responded with a sly grin. "Our friend Norman here sure has an active imagination, doesn't he?"

"That he does. Plus a touch of paranoia, if I might add."

Norman walked with them to the front of the mystery shack door. "Seriously, you guys really should use those twin powers for good instead of evil."

Mabel smiled kindly and broke her innocent façade. "We got you to come to the carnival with us. I don't think there is a greater good than that."

And with that she turned and skipped out of the house, leaving Norman with a tentative smile on his face.

Maybe today would be fun. Or at least, maybe he wouldn't come off as a total freak to his new friends.

One day without being a freak? Was that too much to ask?

Apparently it was.

* * *

**Norman isn't the only one with a gift. The twins have powers of their own! **

**Thanks for the continued support guys! Don't forget to review!**


	8. Freaks and Friends

**Chapter Eight: Freaks and Friends**

* * *

The three kids walked through the town of Gravity Falls. To any person passing by they were probably having one of the strangest conversations for kids their age to have.

"So, what did you do with the comb?" Norman asked.

"Don't worry about it, man. It's still back at the shack."

"Do you think it will be safe there all alone?" Norman wondered anxiously.

"Don't worry, Norman! If Dipper isn't worried than it's fine!" Mabel interjected. "After all, he's the Great King Worrier of Worry Land." Mabel laughed to herself and Dipper just rolled his eyes.

"The carnival is pretty close to the woods," Dipper explained. "I didn't want to take any chances by bringing it so close to her. As long as we get back to the shack before it gets dark we should be fine. We will probably need to leave the light on all night when we sleep, Mabel, just in case."

"You really think the light will stop her?" Norman asked uncomfortably.

"I hope so. It's all we have to fight her off with. The sunlight will hopefully keep her away during the day and at night hopefully the light in our room will be enough."

Norman nodded at Dipper's logic. It wasn't the best plan, but it was all they had.

"I was thinking…" Dipper began slowly. "What if we just destroyed the comb? Then she could never use it again."

"No!" Norman almost yelled, causing the two twins to look at him in surprise.

Norman could feel his face heating up. "I-I mean, n-no, we can't do that."

"Why not?" Mabel asked, cocking her head to the side.

"She might need the comb to cross over."

"Cross over?" the twins said at the same time.

"Y-yeah… if she used to be alive, than her spirit probably has some unfinished business, r-right? Or it did before she became that banshee thing. The comb might be important for getting rid of her," Norman explained nervously. This was getting way too close to his gift for comfort.

"How did _you_ know she used to be alive?" Dipper asked, but the way he said it was off. It was like Dipper already knew she used to be living and he was just asking how Norman knew.

"I-I looked up banshees on the internet last night," Norman explained quickly. "It said that they are often spirits of mothers. If something bad enough happens to a person it can turn their spirit into a monster." The twins were both looking at him in surprise, causing him to panic. "A-At least th-that's how it works in the movies, r-right?"

Dipper nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that. You really got all that about banshees from the internet?"

Norman thought that was an unusual question, and it brought up a few questions of its own. "Umm, well, yeah… of course. It's that how you figured out it was a banshee?"

"Oh, umm..."

Dipper glanced at Mabel.

"Yeah, of course. We used the internet," Dipper agreed a little too quickly.

Mabel looked away guiltily, and Norman could tell Dipper was lying.

"You know, I didn't read anything on the internet about light being a banshee's weakness," Norman said slowly. "And I'm pretty sure the internet wouldn't be able to tell you where its cave was, especially since banshees are Irish mythology and we are nowhere near Ireland."

"That's right," Dipper snapped defensively. "It didn't say where the banshee lived, so how did you know where it was, Norman?"

Norman stopped in his tracks. Great, they were back to this again. Whenever Norman would press Dipper for more information, Dipper would do the same. It was an impasse that they both knew they should avoid for the sake of working together, but it was hard to work with someone that was obviously keeping a huge secret. Even though Norman realized how hypocritical it was to blame Dipper for keeping secrets. Plus, it didn't help that both of the boys had trust issues.

"Boys, boys, stop!" Mabel interjected. "Dipper, Norman doesn't have to tell us anything if he doesn't want to. Unless you're willing to tell him how we knew about the banshee's weakness and where it lived, than you have no right asking him anything. You can't be suspicious of Norman for keeping secrets when you're doing the same!"

Dipper glanced at the ground. After a long few seconds he said, "She's right. Sorry."

"Umm, me too," Norman apologized.

Suddenly, the two boys found themselves moving again as Mabel grabbed both their hands and pulled them forward. "Great! We're all good friends! Now come on! We're almost there!"

* * *

Norman had been to an amusement park before, but he had never been to a moving carnival like this. There were booths everywhere full of games and food. There were about six rides in the park, and Norman had to wonder what the trucks must have looked like when they were carrying the rides to their locations.

With their all day passes the kids were trying to decide what to do first. Norman didn't have any money, but Dipper wanted to try his hand at the game booths.

This earned a remark from Mabel asking, "Haven't you had enough of those yet?" This caused Dipper to glare at his sister, although Norman wasn't sure why.

Both Norman and Mabel wanted to get on one of the rides, but Dipper nervously brought up how unstable he heard carnival rides were. Mabel had countered his concern by asking if he was scared, and after Dipper made it perfectly clear that he was just being cautious, he wasn't scared, Mabel then asked him to prove it. The two bickered for a while on whether or not refusing to go on the rides proved that Dipper wasn't manly, or that Dipper was just exercising 'reasonable caution,' as he put it.

Norman watched in amazement as Mabel seemed to know just what buttons to push to get her brother to do what she wanted. He had never seen a brother and sister argue quite like this before. It was like they were mad at each other, and yet, they were enjoying the little spat. Norman didn't quite know what to make of it, but he had a feeling this was a normal occurrence for the two twins.

"_Hey Norman!" _a young voice said to his right, and Norman turned to see young Cheyenne beaming up at him. _"You're here too? I came with my mom and dad! Isn't the carnival fun?"_

Norman glanced back at the twins to see that they were still bickering with each other, and then looked back to Cheyenne.

The little ghost girl frowned when he didn't answer her. _"Norman? What's wrong?"_

"I'll be right back," Norman called to the twins. "I'm just going to use the bathroom."

Norman carefully waved at Cheyenne to follow him and hoped the twins didn't notice his strange behavior. When Norman was far enough away, he turned to Cheyenne.

"Sorry," he apologized. "People can't see you so I didn't want anyone to think I was talking to myself."

"_Oh yeah, I forgot. Sorry Norman…"_

"No! Don't be sorry!" Norman responded immediately, and with a hint of guilt. "It's not your fault. I was hoping to talk to you again soon. Have you seen anything weird lately? Maybe something coming from the forest?"

"_Like what?"_

Norman shrugged. "I don't know. We are trying to get more information on the banshee, but we are running out of clues."

"_Hey Norman, can I see that comb you found again? It was so pretty!"_

"Oh, I don't have it anymore," Norman admitted. "We are keeping it in a safe place for now."

Cheyenne's expression fell drastically. _"Oh, okay…" _She tried not to seem bothered, but she sounded really upset. Norman realized that she had really wanted to see it again.

"I'm sorry, Cheyenne. I would let you if I had it," Norman tried to placate, but the girl just looked more miserable.

"_That's okay, I just liked it a lot,"_ Cheyenne said with a shrug. _"I used to love it when my mom would brush my hair. She would do it whenever I was scared or upset, and it would calm me down, and I think it helped her too because it would make her happy to play with my hair and make it look beautiful. I guess the comb just reminded me of that." _

"I'm sorry, Cheyenne," Norman apologized again guiltily. "But speaking of your mom, I think I see your parents getting on that ride over there. Do you want to join them?"

Cheyenne looked up excitedly. _"That looks like fun! What about you?"_

Norman glanced back to where he had come from. "I have to get back to my friends." There was a warm sensation in his chest when he said that. He actually had friends that were waiting for him.

Suddenly, the warm sensation was snuffed out as Norman was pushed to the ground, hard.

"What friends, you freak?" A tall kid about two years older than him asked with a sneer. He had two other friends with him that snickered nastily. "Who are you talking to? There's no one else around!"

Norman's eyes fell to the ground. Maybe if he didn't say anything the kids would go away? Norman had never seen this kid before, but with the whole town calling him a freak, it wasn't uncommon for random teenagers to bully him.

"I said, who are you talking to?" the ugly fourteen year old asked again.

"No one," Norman mumbled and tried to get back on his feet, but the bully pushed him down again.

"Oh, so you_ are_ crazy then?" The kid laughed. "I knew it."

Norman clenched his teeth together and tried to keep his face expressionless. He hoped that if the kid didn't find him an entertaining victim he would just leave. Norman just hoped that Mabel and Dipper didn't hear about this.

"Hey, what the heck is going on?" Norman's heart fluttered when he heard Dipper's voice.

_Oh no…_

Mabel rushed to Norman's side and tried to help him to his feet while Dipper squared off with the three kids. Dipper glowered at the bullies, and caused them to pause curiously. Dipper was short and fragile-looking compared to the three teenagers, but that didn't stop him from standing in between Norman and them.

"This is none of your business, shorty," the leader of the group, which reminded Norman of Alvin, responded snidely.

"You pushed down my friend, I think it is my business," Dipper responded, his fists clenched.

"Yeah, you big jerk!" Mabel yelled right next to Norman's ear which made the medium flinch.

"Oh, come on, you're friends with that freak? He's crazy! He talks to himself, like, all the time! Everyone knows that!" the second teenager, who wasn't quite as tall as the first, responded with a nasty grin.

There were murmurs of agreement in the crowd.

"Yeah, well, so do I!" Dipper shouted out bravely. "It helps me think when I talk out loud to myself. If that's freaky then… then I don't care!"

"And I like to see how many gummy worms I can stick up my nose!" Mabel added loudly, causing everyone in the crowd to just stare at the kids in confusion.

"What? That's so gross," said someone in the crowd.

"They're all freaks," someone else said, and there was a murmur of agreement.

"Too much, Mabel, too much," Dipper whispered with a shake of his head. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Mabel's strength always impressed Norman as she practically dragged him away from the group of onlookers.

"Welp, now it looks like everyone thinks we're freaks," Dipper said with a laugh, and Norman couldn't understand why he was laughing at a time like this.

"Y-you guys shouldn't have done that," Norman said with a shake of his head. He still couldn't believe what had happened. The only two people to ever defend him before this were Neil and his sister. "Now they are going to pick on you guys too."

"Pshaw!" Mabel said with a wave of her hand. "Who cares? They're just big dummy heads anyway."

"Yeah, Norman, don't worry about it. We can handle ourselves. And don't worry about what they said about you either. It's not true."

Norman knew that was a lie. Even the Pines twins knew how freaky he was and he hadn't even told them why yet. Not that he was ever, _ever_ going to tell them.

"Thanks," was all Norman managed to say, even though his first instinct was to say, "I'm sorry." What he would have been apologizing for, he wasn't totally sure, but he had a feeling he wanted to apologize for causing so much trouble. He wanted to apologize for being so weird and for managing to get practically the whole town to hate him. However, more than that, he wanted to thank them for sticking by him, and sticking up for him despite that, and so that's what came out instead of 'I'm sorry'.

Dipper just grinned goofily and waved him off as if it was nothing.

"Now come on!" Mabel screeched (sounding a bit like a banshee). "Let's go have some fun for crying out loud!"

* * *

**Okay, I promise, they will actually get to have some fun at this carnival. The day isn't over yet… in fact, it's far from over. More bad stuff still has to happen, but at least it will be more bad and good stuff this time.**

**Please Review!**


	9. The Vision Isn't Real but the Warning Is

**Woot! I got more reviews last chapter than normal! That was awesome! Probably because the story is picking up from here on out. Remember, pay attention to small things and maybe you can solve the mystery before they do. **

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**Chapter Nine: The Vision Isn't Real but the Warning Is **

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Norman didn't feel like having a good time after the incident with the Alvin-like bully, but he soon learned that even if you didn't want to have fun around the twins, they were going to make you no matter what.

Mabel had convinced Dipper to get on the rides with them and they spent the next two hours going from ride to ride, and because Gravity Falls was such a small town, the lines weren't very long.

They spent the next hour playing some of the carnival games, and even though Norman didn't have any money on him, both twins insisted that he take a turn, even though he was just as happy to watch them play. The twins grabbed some food and forced Norman to share, even though he lied and said he wasn't hungry. Everything about this day, except for the incident with the bully, was perfect. Even the incident with the bully had stopped seeming like a bad memory to Norman, because now all he could remember was the twins sticking up for him.

Before they decided to go home, the kids planned to go on a few more rides, and that's when everything fell apart.

Norman was walking next to the twins when his vision became a little fuzzy and blackness started to obscure the world. He thought he was going to black out, so he stopped walking and he barely registered that the twins had stopped as well.

The blackness continued to consume his vision, but then Norman realized that the blackness was being replaced with dark cave walls.

'_Oh no,'_ Norman thought, _'please, not this again.' _

But it was too late, and suddenly he wasn't standing in the carnival grounds anymore, but inside the banshee's cave. Norman twisted around, looking for the silver women, but she wasn't there.

"Hello?" he called.

"Hello," came a hiss from behind him. Norman swung around, but there was no one there.

"Where is it, boy?" the female voice rasped, but Norman couldn't see the banshee in the dimly lit cave. "Where have you hidden it?"

"Y-you can't have it!" Norman stammered out. "You'll only hurt more people!"

"It's not yours to keep!" the banshee wailed, forcing Norman to cover his ears. "It's not yours and it's not mine! Give it back!"

"W-what do you m-mean it's not yours?"

"It's hers!" Norman could feel the banshee's breath on the back of his neck, but when he stumbled forward out of its reach and turned around, he found that there was nothing there. "It's hers and you took it from me!" the banshee screeched.

"Hers? Who's that? Who does the comb really belong to?"

Suddenly, the banshee appeared in front of him, her fangs extended past her chin, and her skin was wrinkled far beyond any old person Norman had seen before. She looked like she was thousands of years old and barely hanging together.

Norman stumbled back, but the banshee grabbed his shoulders and he couldn't break free. He tried to remember that this wasn't real. This couldn't possibly be real. It was just a vision, a warning, just like the ones he would get about Aggie.

"I smell them on you," she hissed. "The ones that have my comb. You gave it to the siblings. Those foul siblings. I was going to leave them alone, but now I shall devour them."

"NO!" Norman shouted, and shoved the banshee away with all his might. To his surprise the monster released him and stumbled backwards. "You won't hurt them! I won't let you!"

"I will have them," the banshee promised, licking her lips. "They will be mine. I'm getting stronger every day. Losing my comb made me weak, but I'm getting stronger even without it." She let out a gut-wrenching wail that turned his chest to ice. The banshee opened her wings and took off from her cave into the night sky. "I'm coming for them next," was the last thing Norman heard whispered icily into the back of his mind as he slipped into darkness.

"Norman! Norman!" he heard two voices shouting for him from far away.

"Norman, come on buddy, wake up!" That was Dipper's voice.

"Maybe he needs CPR! Dipper, hurry and give it to him! You're the one that knows how!"

"M-Mable, he doesn't need CPR! He's breathing. He just passed out… or something…"

Norman groaned. His head felt incredibly dizzy.

"He's waking up! He's waking up!" He could hear Mabel's shrill and panicked cries.

He opened his eyes to see the two twins looking down at him in concern.

"Are you okay?" Dipper asked. The two siblings were crouched down next to him as they helped him sit up.

"Y-yeah, I think so. What happened?"

"You just collapsed, man!" Dipper said in panic. "Then you…you started screaming."

"You were saying 'no, you won't hurt them,'" Mabel clarified. "You seemed really upset. Who were you talking too?"

Norman shook his head, trying to fight the chill that was running up his spine and the weakness in his limbs. "I-I don't remember," Norman lied.

Dipper and Mabel exchanged glances. Norman really really hated when they did that.

"Are you sure?" Dipper prompted. Norman could tell they didn't believe him, but right now he really didn't care.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I-I think maybe I blacked out because of how hard I hit my head yesterday. I think I should go home."

Norman started to stand up and he was surprised when both Mabel and Dipper helped him to his feet.

"Alright," Dipper agreed. "We'll walk you home."

"That's alright, you guys should go ride more rides. I don't want to ruin your day."

"Norman," Mabel said sternly as she grabbed his right arm in her own two arms, both in order to help stabilize him, and to give him a half-hug. "We had the best day already, but if you think we're going to let you walk home yourself after passing out, then you obviously don't know us very well at all."

"Besides, you can barely stand on your own," Dipper commented, and Norma realized he had been leaning almost his full weight on Dipper.

"Sorry," Norman said with a blush. He felt completely useless. This was the third time the twins had to help him. They saved him from the banshee, they defended him against the bully, and now they were escorting him home.

Dipper grinned. "That's okay, let's get you home, buddy."

* * *

By the time they got to Norman's family's cabin, Norman was feeling well enough that he could get his keys out of his backpack and open the door. His mother was there to greet him, but as soon as she saw Norman being escorted in by two other children with their hands on Norman's shoulders, her smile disappeared. Norman figured he was not only still a little shaky, but he was probably even more pale than usual.

"Norman! Honey, what happened?"

Norman opened his mouth to lie, but Dipper answered for him.

"We were at the carnival when Norman passed out, Mrs. Babcock."

"Oh no, my poor baby!" Norman's mother knelled down to get a better look at him.

Norman snuck Dipper an evil glare to which Dipper just smiled innocently.

"I'm fine mom. It was probably because I hit my head when I fell at the mall yesterday. I was probably just doing too many things today. I just need to rest and I'll be fine."

Dipper and Mabel didn't react at all to Norman's little lie, thank goodness.

"Well, okay sweetie. You go rest. I'm glad you have such nice friends that walked you all the way home." Mrs. Babcock beamed down at the two twelve-year-olds. "Are you two twins? That's so cute!"

"Mom," Norman groaned in embarrassment.

Mabel and Dipper chuckled.

"Yes, we are," Dipper answered. "I'm Dipper and that's Mabel. It's nice to meet you." Dipper turned to Norman. "We'll see you tomorrow if you're feeling better, okay? We should get home before it gets… dark."

Norman's chest tightened in fear. The sun would start setting in an hour or less, and the banshee might be able to leave the forest in the dim light. The words of the banshee in Norman's vision rang in his ears:

_I'm coming for them next._

Norman shivered. He was pretty sure it hadn't been the real banshee that had talked to. He was certain his vision was some sort of warning, just like the ones he would receive about Aggie. However, the message was clear. The banshee knew Dipper and Mabel had the comb and once she was strong enough, she would come after them.

He wanted to plead with them to stay. He wanted to tell them to forget the comb and just let the banshee find it. They could sleep in his room with the lights on, and at least they would be safe.

However, Norman couldn't say that. He knew how important it was for them to protect the comb so the banshee wouldn't hurt anyone else. Plus, if Dipper's theories were correct, than the banshee couldn't get them if the twins left the light of their room on.

The vision had told Norman that the banshee was regaining her power even without the comb. Slowly, over time, ghosts were able to store up their energy and move objects. Norman had a feeling that the banshee was doing a similar thing, but since it could already interact with the physical plane, Norman didn't want to know what a banshee at full power was really like. Perhaps it had less of an aversion to light? Norman didn't know how they were going to beat it if it's one weakness was gone.

"Y-yeah, guys," Norman eventually stuttered out. "S-see you tomorrow."

…_I hope. _

After the twins left Norman went to his room, lied face down on his bed, and sobbed.

This was how Courtney found him a few hours later.

* * *

"Hey Norm, mom said you weren't feeling well. We saved you some dinner," Courtney said from the doorway. "Norm?" she said again when he didn't answer.

Norman felt her sit down at the edge of his bed.

"I know you're not asleep. What's wrong?"

Norman sighed and sat up. Courtney's eyes widened when she saw his face, which was probably puffy from the crying.

"Norman! What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm okay… yeah," Norman responded while carefully inspecting the comforter of his bed.

"Mom said you passed out today or something, but it's more than that, isn't it?"

Norman nodded. "I… I had another vision. Like the one I had during the school play about Aggie."

Courtney scooted closer to him. "What did you see?"

"Th-the banshee… s-said she was going to go after Mabel and Dipper when she got strong enough. I-I think it was a warning, but I don't know what to do! Light is her weakness so Mabel and Dipper are going to keep the light on all night, and so will I, but what if that's not enough anymore? What if she gets strong enough to attack them anyway? I-I'm just… I'm really scared Courtney."

Courtney surprised him by rubbing his back gently. "Wow, Norman… that's a lot to take in," she said awkwardly. "So… you really think they're in danger?"

Norman nodded solemnly.

"Did you tell them about your vision?"

Norman scoffed. "How can I? I can't just go up to them and say: hey, I had a vision that the banshee told me that she was going to attack you as soon as she could. And by the way, I know this is a real vision and I'm not crazy because I'm a medium." Norman raised an eyebrow at his older sister. "That wouldn't exactly go over well."

"Okay, you have a point there," Courtney conceded. "But maybe if you just told them about your gift-"

"No, Courtney," Norman interjected sternly. "No. I can't do that."

"Why not?" Courtney asked innocently, but Norman had a feeling she knew why not.

Norman just shrugged.

"Maybe because they're the first living friends you've made here?" Courtney guessed quietly. "And maybe you're afraid that they won't accept you if you tell them, or they will think you're lying?"

Norman didn't answer, but a few tears dripped from his eyes onto his pillow.

"Maybe…" Courtney continued hesitantly; his sister sounded like she was fighting back emotions of her own. "Maybe it's because you're ashamed of your gift?"

Norman couldn't help himself; his tears came flooding back.

He could feel his sister give his shoulders a gentle squeeze, and then she continued to rub his back until he calmed down again.

It was a while before Norman could create full sentences again. "I wish… I wish Grandma was here…" Norman said between hiccups.

"Yeah… me too," Courtney agreed sadly, and this caused Norman to look up in surprise. Courtney hadn't been as close to Grandma as Norman was, but he never really considered the fact that Courtney missed her. For Norman, he saw her every day back home, so her death wasn't as devastating as it could have been for him.

"She said… it would be good for me to spend some time with my family without her. That's why she didn't come with us," Norman explained, his voice raw from crying. "I-I think I'm starting to understand what she meant. Thanks Courtney," he added shyly.

Courtney looked down at him in surprise and confusion. "You're welcome Norman, but didn't really do much. I still think you should tell your new friends. You need people that you can be honest with."

Norman shook his head. "I-I can't. I'm lucky enough to have them as my friends despite what everyone thinks of me, and after today… I don't think they believed that my collapse was just because of my head injury. They don't need to see me as _more_ of a freak."

"Norman…" Courtney began disapprovingly.

"And it wouldn't matter if I told them that the vision said they were in danger anyway. Even if they believed me, they're too stubborn. They won't leave this alone." Norman sighed. "I'm still scared for them though. It's dark, what if they're being attacked right now?"

Courtney pulled out her phone. "Only one way to find out. Do you know their number?"

Norman frowned. "No…" Then he got an idea. "But they do live in this tourist attraction with their… uncle? I think? It's called the Mystery Shack."

Courtney made a face. "Who would want to live in a tourist attraction?" She pressed a few letters on her smart phone. "Here, I have the Mystery Shack phone number. Why don't you use your phone to call them?"

Norman thanked Courtney and dialed the number on his phone.

"Yeah, who is it? We're closed for the night."

"H-hi, this is Norman Babcock. Can I talk to Dipper or Mabel please?"

"Oh, it's you." And then Norman could hear the older man yell, "Kids! Your friend is on the phone! The weird one that won't buy anything!"

Despite everything, Norman laughed.

Norman heard a mad scramble and then two voices came on the line at the same time.

"Hi Norm!"

"Hi Normy!"

Norman laughed again, this time in relief.

"Hi guys."

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**Please continue to review! I really appreciate the feedback!**


	10. How to Tell if Your Friend is

**Happy Halloween! Make sure you remember to eat all of your candy, even the loser candy or you know what will happen :)**

**I hope you guys like this chapter! I think I just like making life worse for Norman or something? **

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**Chapter 10: How to Tell if Your Friend is a Necromancer **

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"Norman, you're friends are here to see you," his mother said as she walked in the TV room where Norman was eating a bowl of cereal and watching one of the low-budget zombie movies he brought with him.

"What?" Norman responded, suddenly losing interest in the TV.

"Your friends, they're coming up the path now."

The doorbell rang and Norman got up to answer it. He didn't know why he felt so surprised. They had said they would see him tomorrow after all. However, it was still early morning, and he thought that if he saw them at all it would be later in the day. He wondered if they were up to something?

"Norman, are you sure that friend of yours is all there?" his father asked. "I think she's carrying a leaf blower on her back."

Somehow, even something strange like that didn't surprise him if Mabel was involved. "Still trying to figure that one out, dad," Norman answered with a smile and his father grunted in agreement.

Norman opened the door and was greeted by two familiar faces.

"Hey Norm! Up for an adventure?" Dipper asked cheerfully.

"You have a leaf-blower on your back," was the only thing Norman could think to say, because his dad was right, and Mabel really did have a leaf blower strapped to her back.

"Yep!" Mabel said with a grin.

"And_ why_ do you have a leaf-blower on your back?" Norman prodded.

Mabel scoffed. "You never know if you're going to need one, duh!"

Norman glanced at Dipper in confusion.

The boy just gave him a sly smile. "You'll see…"

* * *

The next thing Norman knew, he and the twins were riding in the golf cart through the forest. Mabel was in the back, Norman was in the passenger seat and Dipper was driving.

"Are you sure we should be here?" Norman asked, glancing around the forest as if expecting to see the banshee waiting for them.

"Don't worry, I left the comb somewhere safe," Dipper assured him. "I wouldn't have brought it with me."

"After I hung up last night did you guys… have any problems?" Norman asked hesitantly. Both the twins were unusually silent. "Guys?" he asked, fear creeping into his voice.

"We… heard some things," Dipper admitted.

"Like scratching sounds outside our window," Mabel elaborated.

"Yeah, and this horrible wail, but Grunkle Stan said he didn't hear it," Dipper continued with a shiver. "She obviously knows where we live, but she couldn't get in. We left the light on all night."

Norman clenched his fists. So his vision had been right after all. The banshee would continue to try and hurt his friends and there was nothing Norman could do about it.

"Maybe we… maybe we should destroy the comb," Norman mumbled quickly, as if the words themselves hurt to say. This went against every instinct he had as a medium. If they did this Norman knew they would be trapping a ghost on the earth forever, but this would also put the twins out of danger, and it might even make it impossible for the banshee to hurt anyone ever again.

"What?" Mabel shouted in surprise. "But you said-"

"I know what I said," Norman snapped, cutting her off. "B-but if this banshee hurts you guys it will be my fault. I'm the one that found the comb. I know it's not the _right_ thing to do, but it's the safest."

Norman felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked over to see Dipper glance at him in concern.

"We're scared too, Norman," Dipper assured him. "We want this to be over just as badly, but the reason we haven't destroyed the comb yet is because of what you said. We knew you were right, and we know that there is more to this mystery than meets the eye. We can't just give up now and take the easy way out just because we're scared. We don't kill mysterious things, we solve them."

_There's nothing wrong with being scared, Norman. Just as long as you don't let it change who you are._

Norman swallowed the lump in his throat, and nodded.

"You're right," he admitted.

Had this whole banshee thing only put himself in danger, Norman would have never considered destroying the comb. However, he was scared for the twins. In this town they were his only friends, and the only ones who didn't seem to mind his weirdness, or the strange looks he got from others. He didn't want anything to happen to them, especially not because of him.

But that didn't mean he could throw away everything he stood for, that they stood for, just because he was terrified of losing them.

"Don't worry, Norm," Dipper continued with a grin. "We might be all out of leads in town, and the actual victims aren't able to tell us anything, but we know some… umm… people that might be able to help us."

"People in the forest?" Norman asked.

"Yep! Out of all one-thousand of them at least one of them has to know something," Mabel explained.

Norman looked back at her in confusion.

"You'll see when we get there," Dipper explained. "It might help explain why Mabel and I aren't really weirded out by the banshee."

Norman raised an eyebrow at them. Okay, now he was curious.

* * *

When they exited the golf cart they were deep in the underbrush, but the sun still miraculously lit their path. Everything was so fresh and new. It almost looked like a magical forest from a Disney film.

"Now, Norman," Dipper said cautiously. "Just… don't freak out, okay? Gravity Falls has a lot of weird things in it. Mabel and I are used to this stuff and I know you're good with weird stuff too, but this might be a little much."

Norman frowned. He had no idea what Dipper could possibly be talking about. Norman saw ghosts on a daily basis, and had even seen the living dead!

"Whatever it is, I'm sure I can handle it," Norman assured him.

Dipper and Mabel exchanged glances and then grinned as if something was really funny.

"Okay, come this way," Dipper instructed. "You have the leaf blower ready, Mabel, just in case?"

"Ready!" Mabel announced as she unstrapped it from her shoulder.

"Hello?" Dipper called. "Jeff? You there?"

"Oh great!" called a voice from the trees. Norman looked up but didn't see anyone. "It's you two again. Didn't I say you have to get someone else to do your dirty work from now on?"

"Come down, please?" Mabel asked. "We just want to ask you a question."

There was a long silence and then: "Put away that horrid sucking machine and then we can talk."

Mabel glanced at Dipper and Dipper nodded in agreement. Mabel swung the leaf blower over her shoulder with the strap she had attached, leaving her hands free.

"There, now we won't use it unless you give us reason to," Dipper reasoned.

"Very well," the voice in the trees relented. There was a scurrying noise that sounded a bit like a large squirrel climbing down a tree and then Norman watched as a tiny little man emerged from the bushes in front of him. He looked almost exactly like those garden gnomes people would put on their front lawn that Norman always thought looked pretty creepy. He even had the beard and everything.

Norman couldn't speak; he couldn't even believe what his eyes were telling him he was seeing.

"I don't supposed you've come back to take me up on my offer of Queendom, have you cutie?" Jeff, the gnome, asked.

Mabel growled and reached for the leaf blower.

"Easy Mabel." Dipper grabbed her hand just in time. "Just take it easy."

Dipper glared back at the gnome.

"I figured not," the gnome said with a sigh.

"Th-that's a gnome…" Norman said as last, finally finding his voice. "It's a gnome," he repeated again, his voice getting higher.

The gnome looked up at Norman, offended.

"And just who are you?" he asked.

It took Norman's brain way too long to process the fact that the gnome was actually talking to him. Finally, Norman opened his mouth and surprisingly more sound came out.

"N-Norman, I'm Norman."

Jeff's head snapped back to Dipper and Mabel. "Is this some kind of a joke?" he demanded.

Norman was taken aback by how angry the gnome sounded all of a sudden. Dipper, however, looked like he was trying to contain his laughter.

"No, Jeff, it's just a coincidence. Norman's our friend," Dipper explained. "We're here to ask you something since you guys are like the eyes and ears of this forest."

Jeff watched them warily, but with some renewed interest. "What's the question?"

"Do you guys know anything about the banshee that lives in the forest?" Dipper asked. "She's got silver hair and these big white wings."

Jeff scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Of course I know about her! I thought you were actually going to ask about something interesting like the best kind of fungus that grows in this part of the woods."

"Ew," Mabel said, making a face.

"Don't knock it 'till you try it, sweet cheeks," the gnome said to Mabel with a wink.

"Okay, can you _not_ talk to my sister like that?" Dipper snapped protectively, looking both angry and a bit disturbed at the same time.

The gnome just shrugged. "Anyway, what do you want to know about her?"

"How long has she been around?"

"Eh, a century maybe?" Jeff said nonchalantly. "Compared to most things in this forest, she's pretty new. She used to only be active when people would pass by her cave, but just recently she's been hunting people."

"Yeah, we noticed," Dipper agreed. "Do you have any idea why she's suddenly started kidnapping people?"

"Well, yeah, of course, it's because of the Necromancer!"

Norman froze. "Th-the what?" he asked shakily.

"Well," Jeff considered thoughtfully. "We don't really know if it is a Necromancer, but there is something new in town that's been summoning ghosts, or talking to ghosts, or maybe even controlling them! We don't know, but they're doing _something_ to stir up the spectral energy in town! Normally that wouldn't be a big deal. I mean, we're gnomes, we care about the life of the forest; we don't really care about dead things. However, for some reason the increase in spectral energy is influencing the banshee."

"How do you know?" Mabel asked in awe.

"Well, as soon as the spectral energy in town increased, the banshee started kidnapping those men. Is there any more proof you need than that?" Jeff asked. "Some of the boys think the Necromancer, or whatever it is, is somehow in league with the banshee. Maybe it wants to use her to kill people? We don't really care as long as it doesn't come after us!"

Norman could feel his hands shaking with anxiety and the rest of his body start to go numb.

'_No, no, no! They can't be talking about me!'_

It didn't help that Dipper glanced over at him at the end of Jeff's explanation. Norman felt like he was going to be sick. This was just too much.

"Do you know how to stop the banshee?" Mabel asked hopefully.

Jeff shook his head. "Sorry, nothing corporeal is going to kill that that she-witch. Well, maybe a silver bullet? Or is that only werewolves? Not sure, but good luck finding someone that will sell a gun to a bunch of kids. Ha!"

"Do you have any more information?" Dipper pleaded. "Do you have any idea why she would have a comb?"

"A comb?" Jeff scratched his head. "That's a new one to me, kid. Nope, that's pretty much all I know. Well, except for the fact that she's getting stronger and stronger; soon light isn't going to be able to stop her, and she'll be able to leave the forest at any time."

Dipper and Mabel were silent after that little revelation.

"Welp, if that's all you need me for, I'm out! And really you guys… don't come back. Do I have to put up a keep out sign? Yeesh!"

Jeff disappeared into the brush, and he left an awkward silence behind him.

The twins were just staring at Norman and Norman was attempting to focus on the ground and block them out completely as he tried to calm his racing mind.

'_Please, please don't let them assume…'_ Norman thought frantically to himself.

"Norman..." Dipper said slowly, suspicion clear in his voice.

'_Oh no,'_ Norman closed his eyes tightly. He had to get out of there!

"So!" Norman said loudly, making the twins blink in surprise. "Gnomes, huh?" he asked nervously, avoiding their eyes. "Th-that's… umm… that's not what I expected at all!"

"Yeah, there are a lot of weird creatures like that in that in Gravity Falls," Dipper explained slowly, carefully, as if he was waiting for Norman to suddenly start peeling off his skin and reveal a monster underneath. "That's what we wanted to show you. Umm, Norman? Can we ask you something?"

"Dipper…" Mabel warned gently.

"C-can it wait until we get out of here?" Norman asked with a fake chuckle. "I-It's kinda creepy to be in a forest with a banshee, y-you know?"

"Umm, okay?" Dipper agreed hesitantly.

Mabel spoke up loudly, breaking the tension. "Come on! Let's get out of here before Jeff decides to chase us with a gnome army… again."

They all climbed back into the golf cart, but unlike the trip there, the ride back was unusually silent, and Norman couldn't stop his hands from shaking.

* * *

**Looks like they have some real questions for Norman now, and Norman just wants to get the heck out of there! Poor kid.**


	11. Sometimes the Truth is Hard

**Okay, I was going to not post this chapter until Monday (because it's hard for me to post on weekends) but all yesterday I have been getting these awesome reviews, and you guys are just all so nice and supportive that I figured I could post early!**

**Also, I want to thank my regular reviewers for reviewing and also the new people who reviewed! ****Niconico, you don't have an account or else I would have thanked you privately, but thanks so much for your reviews and support! I'm so glad you're enjoying this fic!**

**I believe we are half way or a little more than half way through this fic. It will probably be 18-20 chapters? That's just a guess. **

* * *

**Chapter 11: Sometimes the Truth is Hard**

* * *

Norman could hear his heart beating in his ears as Dipper pulled the cart over to the side of the road as soon as they cleared the forest.

"W-well, this is close enough!" Norman said quickly. "I-I should really go home! I think I'm still trying to process the fact that I met a gnome today. I-I'll see you guys later!" _Or never._

"Wait! Norman," Dipper grabbed Norman's shoulder a little rougher than Norman expected. Norman was forced to stop, but he couldn't bring himself to turn and look at Mabel or Dipper. He knew what he would see. Their expressions would be of suspicion, anger, and maybe even the one emotion that Norman couldn't handle the most when directed at him… fear.

"W-what?" he stammered. "I just want to go home."

"Norman," Dipper sounded stern, angry even, not that Norman was surprised. "What the gnome said about a Necromancer… I just…" Dipper's voice hesitated. "You were at the banshee's cave for no reason, the attacks started not long after you came here, your strange behavior… Norman, I don't want to believe it, but everything _fits_."

Dipper forced Norman to turn around, but Norman's eyes were still glued to the ground.

"Please, Norman, talk to us," Dipper pleaded. The boy actually sounded upset now. Not really angry just… hurt. "Are you… are you the Necromancer?"

Norman's eyes snapped up. Both twins' faces were in an identical expression of sadness, betrayal, and just a hint of fear.

"NO!" Norman shouted. "No! I'm not a Necromancer!"

"Then what are you?" Dipper almost yelled.

"I-I'm nothing! I'm just… I'm just a regular kid! I was just in the cave by accident! I have no idea what that gnome was talking about. I'm not lying! I'm just normal…" Tears sprang to Norman's eyes. He wanted to run, but Dipper still had a hold on his shoulder.

"Oh, Norman…" Mabel whispered sadly.

"Why are you lying to us?" Dipper's voice was heavy with emotion. "Just tell us the truth for once, Norman! I thought we were friends? Well, friends tell each other the truth, don't they? If you won't then… then I guess we're not-"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Dipper was shoved hard against his side and fell onto the ground. Dipper, lying sprawled on his back, looked up to see his sister practically seething down at him.

"STOP IT, DIPPER! JUST STOP IT!" she screamed, tears in her eyes.

Norman had no idea what was happening, but he knew he was free, so he did the first thing his panicked mind told him to do and he ran. He ran as fast and as far as he could go. He wasn't going home, he wasn't going anywhere in particular; he was just running.

Last night he was worried that the banshee would attack his friends and he would lose them forever.

This morning he lost them in a completely different way.

* * *

Norman finally stopped running when he felt like his lungs were about to explode. He was somewhere in the middle of town. He wasn't sure where, but at least he was far away from the twins. His hands were still shaking, but now it was because of the exhaustion his body felt and not his sudden, uncontrollable panic.

He wanted to cry but no tears came out. His body was just exhausted all over. He had just lost his friends, and even though he had only really got to know them for a couple of days, it still hurt. There was something about them that had just felt right, and it was like Norman had known them for a long time.

However, now they thought he was some kind of Necromancer, and really, they had every right to think that after what the gnome said. Norman couldn't even tell them the truth now, because that would make them think he had been helping the banshee all this time. They would hate him.

Even Norman didn't understand that part. Had he really been helping the banshee be accident? Had his presence as a medium awoken her somehow? If that was true, than all of this really was his fault.

"Are you okay, hun?" an old woman asked. Norman's head snapped up, and he came face to face with Mrs. Murphy, Cheyenne's mother, watching him with concerned eyes.

"Y-yes, ma'am, I'm fine," Norman lied.

"Well, forgive me for prying, young man, but you look like you're running from something horrible. I insist that you come in for a while and help me eat some of these cookies I've made. If you don't my husband will eat them all, and he doesn't need the extra sugar."

Norman opened his mouth to refuse, but something about the look the old woman gave him told Norman that he didn't have a choice. Besides, she seemed really nice, and Norman really needed to be around some welcoming people again.

"O-okay… umm, thank you…"

"Dear, we have company," Mrs. Murphy called.

"Oh? Do we now?" Mr. Murphy asked, looking over his glasses at Norman. "Looks like we have someone to test your latest batch of cookies. You're here on the right day, young man. She's preparing for the bake sale this afternoon. What's your name?"

"Norman Babcock, sir."

"So polite! Now, come and sit down, dear," Mrs. Murphy coaxed while placing a plate of cookies in front of him. "Have as many as these cookies as you want."

"Th-thank you," Norman stammered. He wasn't feeling very hungry at all, but he took one to be polite.

"Now, why don't you tell me what's wrong and what you're running from? We might be just an old couple of geezers, but who knows? We might have some good advice."

Norman sighed. He really didn't want to talk about it, but… "I think I just lost my only two friends here," Norman admitted quietly, "and it's all my fault…."

Mr. Murphy put the newspaper he was reading down. "That does sound like a problem. What happened?"

"Everything. It was so messed up from the beginning…" Norman's eyes began to sting, but he refused to cry again. He wiped his eyes stubbornly. "I just really wanted it to work, you know? I really wanted some friends."

Mrs. Murphy sat down next to him. "Well, sure dear, that's what everyone wants. You said it was messed up from the beginning? Why?"

Norman shook his head. "Because I've been lying to them, and they've been lying to me… and I don't think we ever really trusted each other."

Mrs. Murphy nodded. "Yes, you can't build a strong relationship without trust, that's for sure. Is there any way you can tell them the truth now?"

Norman laughed bitterly. "No, that's not possible. There are too many misunderstandings… they'll just think… Well, let's just say that if they are mad at me for lying, they will really hate me for the truth."

"Norman," Mrs Murphy said gently. "Sometimes the truth is hard and sometimes people don't like to hear it, but sometimes it needs to be said." Norman realized that Mrs. Murphy reminded him a lot of his grandmother, which made his heart ache. He really wished she was with him right now. "And sometimes the scarier the truth, the more important it is that you face it. Do you understand?"

Norman nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good! Now you enjoy those cookies, I'm just going to tidy up around here a bit."

Slowly, Norman chewed on the cookies, not really tasting their flavor, when something caught his eye. There was a small tricycle in the kitchen by the front door. Norman found that really odd since he knew there were no kids in the house.

"That tricycle," Norman said out loud. "Was it Cheyenne's?"

"What was that?" Mrs. Murphy asked, and Norman immediately blushed. He probably shouldn't have mentioned Cheyenne. It wasn't polite conversation, or even remotely normal, to bring up someone's dead daughter, especially after they just met. Mrs. Murphy suddenly noticed the tricycle. "Oh, you're talking about that old thing?"

"Y-yeah, I was wondering if I used to-to belong to Cheyenne?" Norman stumbled over his words. "Someone… umm, told me about her."

"Who dear?"

Norman could feel the heat rising to his cheeks. He obviously couldn't tell them that Cheyenne had told him about herself. "Oh, I don't remember now. Someone just mentioned that a long time ago Cheyenne lived here and you haven't moved since."

"No, I mean, who's Cheyenne?" Mrs. Murphy asked.

"Your… daughter?" Norman asked, his head fuzzy with confusion.

The old lady frowned. "Well, someone must have misinformed you. I never had a daughter named Cheyenne. That sounds like a beautiful name, but you see, I can't have kids."

It was like the whole world stopped spinning. "W-what?" Norman stammered. Nothing made sense anymore.

"I love kids though, and I love being a grandmother to the neighborhood kids. In fact, that was one of their bikes from a few years back, but I've never met a kid named Cheyenne."

Norman couldn't understand it. Why would Cheyenne lie about who her parents were? And an even bigger question: why would she lie about her reason for not passing over? Something wasn't right.

Norman had to find Cheyenne.

* * *

**To all of you who thought that Norman's secret would come out this chapter… I'm sorry! Not quite yet! **


	12. Some Mysteries Aren't Meant to be Solved

**Wow, where did all you parapines fans come from? Thank you so much for all the reviews and I loved hearing all of your theories about Cheyenne… **

**Some people asked some questions about foreshadowing and how much I planned out the story. I think I had up to chapter 9 or 10 written when I first started publishing the story and I had the rest of the chapters planned out. So, yeah, everything was written with a purpose. Although, right now I'm only on chapter 15 so I need to hurry up and get writing so I don't run out of chapters before you guys catch up. **

* * *

**Chapter Twelve: Some Mysteries Aren't Meant to be Solved **

* * *

Norman looked all day, but he couldn't find Cheyenne. He spent the whole day searching for her and doing favors for ghosts who couldn't do things for themselves. It kept him busy and it kept his mind off the twins.

It hurt to think of them, but as the sun began to set, Norman started to fear for their safety. Jeff, the gnome, had confirmed that the banshee truly was getting stronger. Norman didn't know how many nights it would take before she was strong enough to withstand the light. Norman guessed not very long. However, now he couldn't call the twins to check up on them.

He was worried sick for them, and worried and confused about Cheyenne. With nothing left to do, Norman headed home in defeat.

* * *

"Are you still not talking to me?" Dipper asked as they climbed the stairs to their bedroom after dinner. "Mabel! You heard what Jeff said!"

Mabel turned on him swiftly. "Yes, I heard what Jeff said, but I also heard what Norman said! He said he wasn't a necromancer!"

"Mabel, Norman has been lying to us from the beginning, you know that! And the journal says trust-"

"Oh, journal smournal! Who cares what the journal says?"

"But-"

"Dipper, is Norman in that journal?" Mabel snapped suddenly.

"Well, no…" Dipper admitted.

"Then why are you listening to it when you're trying to figure out what to do about your friend? And why are you listening to Jeff, anyway? We hate that guy!"

"I'm not listening to anyone!" Dipper countered. "I'm just going by the facts, and the facts are…" Dipper began to count on his fingers. "One, the gnomes think there is some kind of Necromancer-like person messing with the ghosts in the town, and the ghost activity woke up the banshee. Two, Norman talks to seemingly empty air. Three, Norman appears in places he shouldn't and knows about stuff that a normal kid wouldn't. Four, Norman appears in town just a few days before the men start to disappear. It all adds up! Norman has to be connected, can't you see?"

"Of course I see, Dipstick! Do you think I'm stupid?" Mabel shouted.

Dipper blinked at her, stunned. "O-of course not, Mabel." Mabel was a lot of things, silly and random definitely, but not stupid.

"I know that Jeff was talking about Norman, even if Jeff didn't know it. I know that Norman is hiding something from us. I know! I get it!"

"Then… why?" Dipper asked slowly, and a little hurt. "Why push me down? Why defend him?"

"Because he's my friend, Dipper, and you were being a big jerk!"

"I… I was just trying to get him to tell us what he's been hiding. I didn't want to believe that he could be the reason…"

Mabel took a breath. "Dipper, I know what you were trying to do. I get it! I want to know the truth too… but do you really think it's even remotely possible for Norman to be evil? Do you really think he was trying to help the banshee like Jeff said? I mean, it's _Norman. _I know we haven't known him for long, but he's still our friend. He saved all those victims, Dip. He saved them when we had no clue how."

"No, I don't think he's evil." Dipper agreed, sitting down on his bed. "That wouldn't make any sense at all. That's why I wanted Norman to tell us the truth for once. If he were to just explain… then maybe everything would finally make sense." He sighed. "Why Mabel…" Dipper pleaded, "why wouldn't he just tell us what's going on?"

Mabel sat on the edge of Dipper's bed right next to the boy. "Well… why didn't you tell him about the journal?" Mabel asked, causing Dipper's eyes to widen in surprise. "I mean, we already showed him the gnomes. It would be just one more step to show him the journal."

"Mabel, you know why I can't do that!"

"No, actually, I don't," Mabel denied flippantly. "I keep telling you, Dipper. You can't expect people to trust you if you won't trust them. You became Norman's friend because you knew he was a part of the bigger mystery. You were hoping he would tell you his secret. You just wanted to figure him out! So, why should he trust you, huh?"

Dipper pulled out the journal from his vest and looked at it carefully.

"I was a big jerk, huh?" Dipper asked with a sigh. "But I…" the boy began feebly, "I wasn't just his friend because I wanted to learn his secret. I really liked him. I thought that after this adventure was over we could… I don't know…" Dipper smiled weakly. "Become the mystery_ kids_ or something?"

Mabel laughed. "Oh man, Dipper, you are such a dork."

"Do you think he'll forgive me?" Dipper asked his sister earnestly.

"Not only if you're trying to get his forgiveness just so that he will tell us his secret," Mabel said with a frown.

"No!" Dipper denied quickly. "No, I don't care anymore. Even if he is some necromancer, it doesn't matter. You're right Mabel, I know Norman isn't evil or in league with the banshee. I know that if he knew how to stop her he would tell us… and that's… that's enough. If he doesn't want to tell us I have no right to force him." Suddenly, an idea occurred to Dipper. "Mabel, do you think Norman is too scared to tell us his secret? I mean, I would be scared if people started accusing me of being a necromancer."

Mabel shrugged.

Dipper groaned. "Great, I think I just completely terrified my friend."

"_Our_ friend," Mabel nudged Dipper in the shoulder with her own. "You don't get to keep the first necromancer friend we have. It's not fair."

"I'm pretty sure I have more things in common with him than you do. Besides, you have Candy and Grenda. I need somebody to do guy stuff with."

"Well… not if he still thinks you're going to burn him at the stake," Mabel hinted.

Dipper stood up in panic. "Oh my gosh, Mabel! You're right! We have to get over to Norman's house right now! I need to apologize."

"But Dipper, it's dark. We'll probably get eaten by a banshee if we try to leave now."

Dipper frowned. His sister did have a point. "It's a chance we'll have to take. Besides, we'll get Grunkle Stan to drive us there. Look cute Mabel, we're going to have to do some heavy duty persuading."

"I always look cute," Mabel responded as she skipped out the door.

* * *

With sleeping bags in hand, and the comb in Dipper's bag, the twins ran to the door of the cabin where Norman was staying for the summer. They knew they would be invading Norman's house uninvited, but it wasn't like they had much of a choice. They would have to sleep there for the night if they wanted to avoid getting killed by a murderous banshee.

The twin's rang the doorbell and kept glancing at the dark sky, half expecting the banshee to swoop down on them at any second.

A teenager with bright blonde hair opened the door. She looked confused for a moment, but then she shrugged and let them in, her ear glued to her cellphone.

"Down the hall and on the right," she instructed and the twins thanked her as they headed off to Norman's room.

Dipper nocked and heard a barely audible "come in" from the other side of the door.

When he opened the door, Dipper and Mabel saw a suddenly very terrified boy looking up at them from the edge of the bed. Norman looked like a trapped animal, and Dipper suddenly felt guilt the size of a bolder crushing his chest.

* * *

Norman didn't understand. Why were they here? Were they going to force him to tell them what he knew?

Dipper dropped his bags on the floor. "Sorry for invading your house," Dipper apologized. "But I had something really important to tell you and it couldn't wait. Please… just listen."

"Wh-what is it?" Norman asked, his heart pounding in his ears.

Dipper dug in his bag and pulled out the banshee's comb. "I… I wanted to say I was sorry." Dipper walked over and handed Norman the comb, which he took in confusion. "I'm sorry for calling you a necromancer. I'm sorry for pushing you to tell us everything. I -we- know you're not in league with the banshee. If you say you're just a regular kid… then you're just a regular kid." Dipper shrugged. "We won't push you for more."

Norman narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You don't really believe that. You're just saying that."

Dipper winced. "Okay, you're right. I… I don't believe that you're completely normal. I know your still hiding something. I can't ignore the facts. But… well, I wouldn't have handed you that comb if I thought I couldn't trust you."

Norman looked down at the comb in his hand, which emitted an empty feeling that made the end of his fingers go numb.

"What Dipper is trying to say," Mabel interjected. "Is that he doesn't care if you don't want to tell us everything, and neither do I!"

"But… why?" Norman asked, unable to keep the suspicion out of his voice. "I thought you said everything fits? I thought you said I had to be the one that Jeff was talking about?"

"The thing is…" Dipper rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't care about that anymore. Not like I did before. Not everything has to fit perfectly all the time. And it certainly doesn't fit if that means the only explanation is that you're evil. As long as we stop the banshee and you're still our friend, then I don't care if I haven't put all the puzzle pieces together."

Norman couldn't believe what he was hearing. Dipper was letting him keep his secret despite everything… but why?

It seemed like he was doing it because… because Dipper didn't want to lose Norman as a friend?

"So, are we cool?" Dipper asked; his hands in his pockets. "Can we still, you know… be friends?"

If this really was a sincere offer of friendship with no strings attached, then Dipper was giving up a lot. Norman had only known Dipper for a few short days, but he knew how much solving mysteries meant to the kid. Dipper said he didn't care about learning Norman's secret anymore, and Norman knew that wasn't completely true, but perhaps, what Dipper meant was he cared about preserving their friendship more. It was a very personal sacrifice, and Norman couldn't believe Dipper was willing to make it just so they could continue being friends.

If Dipper could make a sacrifice like that, then maybe it was only fair for Norman to make one as well. They deserved to know after all.

Norman smiled weakly. His chest was warmed by the knowledge that the twins seemed to care so much about him; however, his stomach was twisted into a nervous knot about what he was about to admit. "Y-yeah, I think we can still be friends. And I- I think I should tell you guys something…" Norman's voice wavered. He knew telling them would mean incriminating himself, even though they already told him they knew he wasn't in league with the banshee. It would still freak them out, and prove how much Norman had been lying to them. It would mean talking to ghosts in front of them and watching them stare at him awkwardly, just like his family did. It would mean the start of them treating him differently instead of just like a regular kid. Norman had enjoyed feeling like a regular kid when around them. Telling them would change everything, but they were willing to give up a lot to keep being his friend, and Norman felt like he owed them at least something…

Dipper shook his head. "No, man, _really_. Don't tell us. Don't tell us unless you really want to." It was like Dipper could read his mind. "I didn't come all this way to apologize for guilt-tripping you with our friendship only to guilt-trip you more. So, think on it, okay? If you want to tell us later, then that's cool. If not, then that's cool too."

Mabel punched her brother in the shoulder, causing him to wince. "I'm so proud of you, Dipping Sauce!"

He rubbed his shoulder. "Ow, Mabel, jeez!"

Norman laughed loudly, happily. He felt so light; like he was floating on air. "O-okay… I'll think about it. Thanks guys, really. No one's given me a choice like that before."

Mabel grinned. "That's what friends are for! They're also for letting us sleep in their room tonight because a banshee is trying to kill us," she added sweetly.

Norman's face fell. "Yeah, if she's getting stronger, then maybe we really should stick together, especially at night."

There was another knock at Norman's door and his sister opened it. She stood in the doorway with a hand on her hip.

"Okay, listen up, as you know mom and dad are out for the night having a great time at the casino and I have to stay home to babysit you… and apparently your friends too, so you have to be real with me," Courtney ordered. "So… what is this?" she asked, motioning to the entire room. "You." She pointed to her brother. "You don't have sleepover, like, ever. Not even with Neil. So what's going on?"

The twins glanced at each other and then at Norman.

Norman sighed. "It's kind of a life or death situation," he admitted.

Courtney groaned. "I knew it! What is going on? Spill!"

The twins' eyes widened in surprise as Norman began to explain.

"The banshee I told you about is hunting us. She's after this." Norman held up the comb. "I found it by accident in the forest. She can't lure any more men into her trap as long as we keep this from her, so she's been trying to get it back from us. She used to be weak against light, so all we had to do to keep her away was to keep our bedroom light on, but she's been getting stronger. Eventually, that won't be enough to stop her."

By the time Norman finished his explanation, Courtney looked sick.

"Great, just great," Courtney mumbled to herself.

"Wait a minute, you believe him?" Dipper asked in amazement.

Courtney looked at Dipper wearily. "Well, is he lying?"

"Of course not, but-"

Courtney shrugged. "Then I believe him. Norman, what are you going to do?"

Norman shrugged. "We really have no idea. We're just hoping that she's not strong enough yet to get to us. Tomorrow we will try to figure something else out, but for tonight… I don't know."

Courtney frowned, her forehead wrinkling with worry.

"Can't you just, like, break the comb or whatever?"

Norman shook his head. "It's hard to explain, but we just can't do it that way. Besides, we don't even know if that would stop her."

"Just… don't die okay?" Courtney requested. "And if anything happens let me know, I'll just be in my room… with the light on all night." Courtney sighed. "I swear, I feel like my life is a horror movie sometimes," she muttered to herself.

"Don't worry, Courtney, everything is going to be fine," Norman assured her.

"Well…" She looked from twin to twin and then back at Norman. "At least you kept your promise. I'm proud of you, little brother."

Norman blushed deeply. "Th-thanks, Court."

Once Courtney closed the door, Dipper turned to face Norman in awe.

"Wow, nobody ever believes anything I say about this supernatural stuff… well, except for Mabel and Soos; he's a guy who works for our Grunkle Stan."

Norman shrugged. "Yeah, I guess my sister has her moments."

* * *

**I'm SO SORRY! I know, I know, this could have been THE reveal chapter, but I couldn't let Norman tell them for the wrong reasons, especially not after how far they've come. Don't worry, it will happen. **


	13. Dipper Breaks the Rule

**Man, I love reading all of your guys' theories about what's going on! It makes me so happy that you guys are invested in the story. **

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen: Dipper Breaks the Rule**

* * *

"So umm," Dipper began nervously, biting his lip. "That's not all we came to tell you…"

Mabel gasped. "No way! Are you about to break the rule?"

Dipper glanced at her in annoyance. "Some rules are meant to be broken, Mabel," he informed her, as if he came up with that on his own.

She just beamed brightly as Dipper turned back to Norman.

"So… as you know," Dipper began. "Gravity Falls is a mysterious town with banshees and gnomes and a whole bunch of other weird stuff."

Norman nodded, unsure where this was headed.

"Since the beginning of the summer my sister and I have been fighting monsters and uncovering the mystery of this town, but we didn't do it alone." Dipper pulled what looked like an old, think book from his inside vest pocket. "I found this journal not long after we arrived. It's filled with information about the weird stuff in Gravity Falls." He handed it to Norman and the medium leafed through it carefully. There was an entry about Bigfoot, vampires, zombies, almost anything Norman could imagine, and some things he thought no one in their right mind would come up with.

"Everything in this journal is real," Dipper assured him. "There is even an entry about the banshee that told us her weakness and where her cave was. It said she used to be a woman that lived in Gravity Falls, but it doesn't tell us who she was."

Norman continued to thumb through the pages in amazement.

"The writer of the journal said he thought he was being watched so he hid the journal where he hoped no one would find it. This is journal number three, and there are two more but I don't have them." Dipper hesitated. "I'm… I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this until now, but the journal comes with a warning." Dipper reached over and flipped the pages of the book to a particular spot. Underlined twice and in large letters were the words: TRUST NO ONE.

Dipper looked at him guiltily. "Gravity Falls is a crazy town and you don't know who you can trust, especially with the secrets of this journal. But Mabel is right; you are risking your life helping us defeat a banshee… you deserve to know the whole truth so here it is."

Dipper allowed Norman to hold onto the book and the medium was too stunned for words.

"This… this is…" Norman attempted to form a sentence. This was huge. If everything in this journal was true, and Norman really had no problem believing it was after seeing the Banshee and the gnome, then Norman didn't even know what was real and what wasn't anymore.

"Crazy, huh?" Mabel said with a laugh.

"Y-yeah, crazy," Norman agreed in amazement.

"It's all real, I swear," Dipper insisted, almost a bit defensively. "Mabel has seen almost everything I have, and we can prove some of these things to you tomorrow if you want!"

Norman shook his head. "No, no, it's okay, I believe you," he assured him. "This is just… a lot to take in. This town really is _something._"

"It's one big mystery," Dipper agreed. "And that's what Mabel and I are doing this summer. We're going to solve it."

Norman laughed. "You guys really are the Mystery Twins, huh?" It was like Norman was looking at his friends anew. Who knew he would actually find two people who deeper into the supernatural stuff than he was?"

"Not anymore!" Mabel shouted. Norman gave her a curious look.

Dipper chuckled. "What she means is we were thinking of becoming the Mystery_ Kids_ instead, in case, you know, you wanted to join us?" he asked hopefully.

Norman's mouth fell open, and he felt his eyes being drawn back to the journal. It suddenly felt very heavy.

They wanted him to join them in uncovering the truth of Gravity Falls?

He wouldn't even have to tell them his gift if he didn't want to. It all sounded terrifying, and yet amazing, and exciting and….and… way too good to be true.

"Why?" Norman asked, handing the journal back to Dipper. "Why are you trusting me with this? We only met a few days okay, and we really only became friends yesterday." Was the carnival really yesterday? I felt longer than that. "I'm sure you normally don't show this to people you've just met."

Dipper nodded. "You're right. We don't really share this with anyone, not even our friends. Soos is really our only friend who knows about it and Stan doesn't believe in this stuff. With you though… I don't know, everything has been different. Given the facts and the circumstance, we were kind of forced to either trust you or to suspect you."

"Plus, we wanted to trust you!" Mabel explained. "You're our friend, and even though we just met we feel like we've known you for a long time."

"Yeah," Dipper agreed. "You're sticking with us through the banshee thing even though it's getting really dangerous. You not only don't freak out when it comes to supernatural stuff, but you're really useful and Mabel and I would have been totally stuck on this mystery without you. We've been through a lot together in just a few short days and you've proven to us that we can trust you. Normally, even though we're friends, we would never show you the journal. It would put you in too much danger. But… since we are all already risking our lives together, you deserve to know the truth."

Norman looked at both the twins shyly. "You guys are really nice to me." He didn't mean to sound so surprised, but besides Neil, he wasn't used to be treated this way by other kids.

Mabel grinned. "So… does this mean we're the Mystery Kids then?" She asked hopefully.

He didn't even need to think about it anymore. Norman smiled and nodded. "Yeah… the Mystery Kids," he agreed, trying it out on his tongue. "Kinda dorky," he decided at last.

Dipper chuckled. "It took me forever to start liking the Mystery Twins thing. You'll get used to it."

Norman didn't have to get used to it. He already loved it.

* * *

For the next hour or more, Norman asked questions while the twins recounted stories from their summer so far. Norman learned that apparently everything wanted to make Mabel their queen, the twins had fought an actual demon, and that apparently Norman wasn't the only one with poltergeist experience.

Norman had laughed so hard he was crying when Dipper explained why Jeff the gnome had been defensive when he learned what Norman's name was.

"But the greatest part was Dipper thought he was a zombie the whole time!" Mabel laughed. "Although after seeing the movie Warm Bodies, I guess a zombie boyfriend wouldn't be TOO bad. Better than one-thousand gnomes," Mabel considered thoughtfully.

"Yeah, and at least the undead don't really eat brains or anything, so you would be safe," Norman added.

The twins gave his a confused look, and Norman blushed.

"I-I mean, th-that's what I think that they would be like," he clarified in a squeaky voice.

Dipper raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh, you know man... I'm not saying you're a necromancer, because you're totally not, but if you _were_ I would expect one zombie uprising a month at least," Dipper joked. "I mean, everyone's got a zombie survival plan, right?" He shrugged. "How cool would it be to actually try it out?"

Dipper had said everything with a smile and a light voice to let Norman know he was joking, and it worked. Norman couldn't help but laugh in spite of himself. Only an hour ago he was terrified of being called a necromancer, or anything related to the dead or his gift, and now…

"Okay, but if I_ could_ raise the dead," Norman bargained, "I would only do it if you promised to call them the undead. The z-word is so insensitive."

The twins laughed and Norman smiled. This was the first time Norman really felt like he could be himself since he came to Gravity Falls.

Then suddenly, as if the universe had decreed that Norman was having too much fun, the lights in the room inexplicably flickered and went out.

Norman heard Mabel gasp.

"Mabel?" Dipper called frantically.

"Dipper?" Mabel responded, and Norman heard her shift positions slightly. "Norm?" she asked.

"I'm here," he answered like this was some kind of sound off, and suddenly he felt a warm hand grab his own.

There was a scratching noise by Norman's window, and the three children's heads snapped towards it in panic. Then, the noise stopped and the lights flickered back on again.

Norman looked back at the two twin's terrified faces. Mabel had positioned herself so that she could grab onto her brother's hand and Norman's at the same time, and she still hadn't let go.

"Was that the banshee?" Mabel asked glancing back at the closed window.

Dipper swallowed and nodded. "Please tell me that the lights in your cabin usually go off at random times?" he asked Norman.

The medium shook his head.

"Didn't think so," Dipper said solemnly. "She's powerful enough to turn off lights now. This is bad." He didn't need to say that again.

Dipper let go of Mabel's hand and searched though his backpack and pulled out a flashlight.

"I wonder if Courtney is safe?" Norman thought out loud to himself.

"I saw a light coming from underneath your door when the lights in this room went out, so I think the banshee only has enough power to turn off the lights in one room at a time, and even then not for very long," Dipper reasoned. "I don't think she would waste her energy going after your sister when we have what she really wants."

A loud ear-splitting scream entered the room. The kids clasped their hands over their ears tightly.

The lights went off again, but this time, Dipper was ready and he turned on his flashlight.

"You guys okay?" he asked, shinning the light in their faces.

Mabel shielded her eyes from the flashlight's beam. "Yeah, I'm still uneaten. Maybe she can't get in?" Mabel suggested.

_Crash!_

A scream.

"Mabe-umph!"

Norman spun around in a panic to see the flashlight fall to the ground at the feet of someone that didn't belong in Norman's room.

The banshee hissed. She was haggard and wild, her claws and teeth long and sharp. She had both twins griped tightly in her arms and they were struggling frantically against her.

"Finally, I have you," she hissed, and with a few elegant flaps of her wings, she flew back outside the shattered window of Norman's room. The window was barely her size, and yet she, the twins, and her wings fit through effortlessly as if she wasn't fully corporeal.

"No!" Norman shouted. With the comb held tightly in his hand, he climbed out his broken first-story bedroom window. She was flying high in the sky with the two twins still in her grip, one in each of her arms.

"No! They don't have it!" The banshee's piercing gaze landed on Norman. "But you do! Give it to me!" the banshee shrieked. "Give me the comb or I will drop the children!" She flapped her wings and took herself higher. She was close to the top of the redwood trees around her. If she dropped Dipper and Mabel from that height it could kill them or at least seriously injure them. "Give it back to me, now!"

"Norman!" Mabel shouted down to him. "If you give it to her she'll just hurt more people!"

"Silence!" The banshee hissed. "Give it to me or they both die."

Norman looked down at the comb and then back up at the banshee. His mind was a fuzzy mess of blind panic. He couldn't let Dipper and Mabel die. He couldn't lose the only two people in this town that were kind to him and that made him feel like he wasn't a complete freak. However, if he gave her the comb there was no guarantee that she wouldn't kill them anyway.

Norman bent down and placed the comb on the ground and then picked up a large rock.

"Let them go!" Norman shouted. "Let them go or I'll destroy this!"

The banshee growled. "How _dare_ you!"

Norman gripped the rock tighter. "Set them down, now!" Norman had no idea where the authority in his voice came from. All he knew was that he was mad and he wasn't going to let the twins get hurt.

The banshee slowly lowered herself until she once again touched down onto the ground.

"Are you guys okay?" Norman asked his friends.

"We're fine," Dipper assured him. Norman noticed Dipper and Mabel were holding onto each other's arms for comfort, as if they were worried they would be torn from each other. Norman realized this wasn't the first time he had seen this. They had been holding hands while running for their lives the first time he had seen them, and then again when the lights went out just minutes ago. In fact, Mabel had grabbed Norman's hand as well. It was like keeping them together was the most important thing to the twins.

"Now, let them go or I will destroy this," Norman warned, tightening his grip on the rock.

"No…" the banshee hissed with a horrid smile on her ugly face. "No, I don't think I will. You see, I have two hostages." As she spoke her fangs grew longer, and her claws extended until they were roughly the length of a kitchen knife. "You will back away from the comb in the next five seconds, or I will kill one of your little friends. If you still refuse to heed to my demands, I will kill the other. You break the comb and I will kill them both."

Norman's mouth went dry.

"I think I will start with the one who dared to use my comb in her hair… the girl…"

"NO!" Dipper shouted as he struggled against the banshee's iron grip, but the evil women didn't even seem to notice him. "Mabel!"

"Five," the banshee began to count.

Norman didn't know what to do! He wasn't going to let Mabel die, he knew that. He would concede the comb if he had to. Maybe that was selfish, maybe that decision would lead to more deaths in the long run, but Norman couldn't let one of his friends die.

"Four."

"Give it to her, Norman!" Dipper shouted, still struggling against the banshee with all his might.

This was all so messed up. What did they really think was going to happen? They were just three kids trying to take down a banshee with no plan, and no real information. They were doomed from the start, but because they had experience with supernatural being in the past they thought they could handle this. They were so naïve.

None of this was like anything Norman had experienced before. None of this made any sense! Norman's vision told him the comb didn't really belong to the banshee, but then who did it belong to? What had possibly happened to this lady that had caused her to turn into this creature that hated unfaithful men, but then obsessed over a small comb?

"Three."

Why would a women center her entire being around a comb? Had her husband given it to her? No, that made no sense, the banshee in his vision clearly said the comb belonged to a 'her'. Could the comb have belonged to the banshee's mother? That was a plausible thing for a mother and daughter to bond over, right? After all, Cheyenne mentioned liking the comb because it reminded her of how her mother used to brush her hair when Cheyenne got scared or upset.

"Two."

Except… Cheyenne's parents had said they never had a daughter. For a few terrifying moments, nothing Norman had learned since coming to this town made sense, and then, in sudden rush of understanding, everything clicked.

"One-"

"Cheyenne!" Norman shouted, causing the banshee to falter in surprise.

"What?" the banshee asked in bewilderment.

"Your daughter's name is Cheyenne, isn't it? This is her comb!"

The banshee just stared at Norman, a blank expression on her face, and for a terrible moment, Norman thought he had been wrong.

However, when the banshee spoke again her words were hesitant and her face scrunched up in pain. "I-I don't…"

"You used to use it to brush her hair, didn't you? She was your daughter," Norman insisted.

"N-no…" the banshee protested weakly.

He tried to remember what Cheyenne had told him. "Whenever she was scared or upset you would brush her hair to calm her down."

The banshee released the twins in order to cover her own ears with her clawed hands. Dipper quickly grabbed onto his sister's arm and pulled her away from the banshee.

"S-stop it!" the banshee stuttered, suddenly sounding more like a young woman than a monster. "Stop it!"

"You loved her!" Norman continued. "You had to have loved her or this comb wouldn't mean anything to you!"

"I-I said shut up!" the banshee roared. "Sh-shut up about…"

"I don't know what happened," Norman continued, "But it was something bad, a-and she died. Y-you died too, and I'm sorry that you lost her, but you also lost yourself. Y-you turned into this monster and Cheyenne is all on her own because she doesn't have a mother anymore. She loves you, I think, and that's why she can't cross over without you."

"Cheyenne?" the banshee asked, like she had just remembered something important. "Cheyenne… my baby…" The banshee looked around in confused anguish, as if expecting to see her daughter next to her.

"I-I can help you," Norman continued, taking a step closer. "Just let me-"

"No!" The banshee screeched, clutching her head in pain. "Stop it! Stop! I don't want to- I don't want to remember!"

The banshee lunged for him, claws outstretched, and Norman barely managed to roll out of the way in time. Instead of turning around and attacking again, the banshee continued forward, flapping her haggard wings until she disappeared into the night.

Shakily, Norman got to his feet. He looked over at the twins who were shaky, pale, and still holding onto each other. They were staring at him in amazement and Norman didn't know how to react.

"What… was that?" Dipper finally asked. "H-how did you do that?"

Norman swallowed.

"I-I'm not really sure," Norman answered honestly, "But I think I just solved the mystery."

* * *

**Welp, the twins secret is out, and Norman puts some pieces together, but I don't think that's the reveal people are waiting for.**

**Please review!**


	14. The Truth Comes Out

**Sorry this chapter was a day late! I wanted to do some more editing on this chapter before I posted it, but I also had to go to work.**

**On another note, where did all my reviewers go? I bet you guys were just waiting for this chapter to come out, huh? I kinda did leave the last one hanging. **

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen: The Truth Comes Out**

* * *

The twins and medium snuck back into Norman's bedroom through the broken window. Norman went to check on his sister and found that she had headphones in her ears the whole time, and thus didn't hear the attack.

When Norman came back he found the two twins sitting on their sleeping bags silently. They watched him as he sat down on his own bed, but they didn't ask anything even though Norman knew they were bursting with questions.

Norman chest felt pleasantly warm. They were trying to respect his wish for keeping his secret, and they didn't know which questions would be appropriate to ask, so they were waiting for Norman to explain what he wanted to tell them.

It felt weird to be trusted like this; to not be under constant scrutiny from other people and to be allowed to explain on his own terms. This time everything was different. This time Norman didn't feel like he had to tell them what he was. He _wanted _to tell them. He wasn't afraid anymore.

"Umm, alright…" Norman began awkwardly. "I think it's finally time that I explained everything. I… I _want _you guys to know everything," he emphasized.

Norman was pretty sure they would accept him, but he still couldn't help but be nervous. He didn't want them to think of him any differently, or for anything to change between them. There was also that lingering doubt at the back of his mind that often whispered things that sounded like truths. Right now it was telling him that the twins would be angry he kept his secret from them for so long, and that they would be uncomfortable with his morbid gift.

"Norman, you don't have to be nervous," Mabel assured him.

"Yeah," Dipper agreed. "Whatever it is, you just saved our lives-"

"And we pretty much already think you're the coolest ever," Mabel finished for her brother.

Norman smiled timidly. "Th-thanks…" He rubbed the back of his neck. His doubt and anxiety weren't as loud as they usually were. Maybe it was because they just survived a banshee attack and he was feeling a little invincible, or because the twins were watching him with nothing but curiosity (judgment and suspicion were nowhere to be found on their faces) that allowed Norman to be able to relax a bit.

"Umm, well, to start," Norman began, "I guess you could kind of say that Jeff was right… Not about the necromancer thing!" Norman corrected hurriedly. He didn't want to give them the wrong idea. "But about the ghosts in this town acting differently."

Norman took a steadying breath and just hoped that the doubts in his head were wrong, and that trusting his new friends was the right thing to do. "You see… I'm a medium. I can see ghosts and talk to them too."

The twin's eyes widened in shock, but other than that they didn't react. They weren't smiling or frowning, they just stared at him… and they kept staring. Norman shifted uncomfortably.

"Umm, s-so that's my secret…" he mumbled, his chest tightening slightly. The twins just continued their stunned silence. "P-please say something," Norman pleaded. Why were they so quiet?

"Are you serious?" Dipper asked at last, and Norman bit his lip. Dipper hadn't sounded angry, but he hadn't sounded happy either. It was like he was having a hard time getting his mind around what Norman had admitted to.

"Ghosts?" Mabel asked in astonishment, "Like Sixth Sense style?"

Norman nodded awkwardly.

"That's why everyone thinks you talk to yourself," Dipper interjected slowly, thoughtfully. "You're talking to the ghosts that no one else can see."

"Y-yeah… I know it's weird and kind of creepy," Norman admitted, rubbing his arm self-consciously. "B-but I wanted you guys to know. I hope you don't mind-"

"Mind?" Dipper exclaimed loudly, and Norman flinched. "Are you kidding? We-

"THIS IS SO COOL!" Mabel shouted suddenly, unable to contain herself. She was flailing her arms wildly in excitement; a huge smile on her face

Norman blinked at her reaction. That wasn't what he usually got when he admitted 'I see dead people'. At least, not in Blithe Hollow, with the exception of Neil.

"Have you met any ghosts in Gravity Falls? What are they like? Can I meet a ghost? Oh, my, gosh! This is so cool!" Mabel blathered instantly, causing Norman to reel back in shock.

"Mabel!" Dipper chastised. "Stop asking so many questions! He can't answer them if you shout them all at once." He sighed in annoyance, and then turned his gaze on Norman. "So…" Dipper backtracked, "a medium, huh?

Norman nodded. It seemed like Mabel had no problem with his revelation, but Dipper was a little harder to figure out.

"Wow, Norman," Dipper began seriously. "I really can't believe this."

Norman's jaw tightened. After everything did Dipper really believe Norman would lie about this? Or… or was he angry?

"Do you have any idea how crazy useful this is going to be?" Dipper asked, his eyes wide.

Norman's mouth fell open slightly. "Huh?"

"Talking to ghosts? That's awesome! I can't believe you thought we would mind something as cool as that! Man, I have so many questions!" Dipper was talking so fast Norman could barely keep up in his surprised stupor.

"You…" Norman began hesitantly, "you don't think it's weird?"

"Well, I mean, yeah," Dipper admitted. "I guess it is, but that's what makes it so great! Mabel and I are used to weird, we like weird! You know that."

Norman shrugged. Liking weird things and actually befriending and spending time around weird things were two completely different things. At least, that had been Norman's experience; even people who claimed to love horror movies or a good ghost story avoided him like the plague.

"Can I ask you some questions?" Dipper asked, his eyes shining hopefully.

"Oh, sure, _you_ get to ask questions," Mabel mumbled to herself.

Norman barely managed a nod before Dipper's questions sprung from his mouth in his excitement, completely ignoring his sister.

"So you see ghosts everywhere? All the time?" he asked.

Norman shrugged. "Yeah, and there are a lot in Gravity Falls. More than I have seen in any town."

"How do you keep that a secret?" Mabel asked in awe. "If I was you I would talk to ghosts all the time!"

"It's hard to ignore them," Norman agreed. "I usually don't like to… it feels rude, but my Dad wanted me to try and be normal while we were in Gravity Falls. Sometimes I wish I could turn it off so that I could just be normal for once."

"Your parents know about your gift?" Dipper asked. "I guess that explains why your sister believed you so easily."

"Yeah, it took a long time for my family to finally start believing that I could see ghosts and I wasn't making it up."

"But what I don't understand is…" Dipper continued slowly, "If this is your secret, then how did you know where the banshee lived? How did you know to bring the rope?"

Norman shifted on his bed uncomfortably. "The ghost of the man who was killed by the banshee came to me and told me where the men were and to bring the rope to free them. By that time, all the ghost in this town knew I was a medium and I'm used to ghosts coming to me to solve their problems. Although, usually the requests I get from ghosts aren't that dangerous."

Dipper nodded thoughtfully. Norman could almost see all the pieces coming together in Dipper's mind. "This explains everything. And I guess I can also see why you didn't want to tell us." Dipper's eyebrows knitted together with worry. "But Norman, what did you think was going to happen if you told us?"

Norman shrugged self-consciously. He couldn't even bring himself to look at them anymore.

"Because whatever you thought," Dipper continued gently, "we want you to know, this doesn't change anything between us, okay?"

Norman's eyes snapped up and met the two twin's gazes.

"We don't care that you're a medium, Norman," Dipper assured him. "We actually think having a medium as a friend is pretty much one of the coolest things that has happened to us this summer, right Mabel?"

"And we've had a lot of cool stuff happen, so that's saying a lot!" Mabel agreed.

Norman found himself grinning. He felt so light right now, like his secret had been weighing him down all this time without him knowing.

"Thanks guys… I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I'm not used to people being so accepting of supernatural stuff like this," Norman explained, fidgeting slightly. "And I… I liked having friends that treated me like I was normal for once. Even though you knew I wasn't completely normal, you still didn't treat me like I was a freak."

"Aw, Norman, you don't need to apologize for not telling us!" Mabel insisted. "We get why you didn't."

"Yeah, man," Dipper agreed. "And honestly, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. You're not a freak, and we certainly don't think of you that way. In fact, you've seen the crazy stuff that goes on in Gravity Falls. Compared to that…" Dipper shrugged. "You're pretty normal."

Norman couldn't help but laugh. These strange twins were probably the only people in this world that could know about his gift and yet still think of him as normal.

"I wish I could believe that." Norman sighed. "But the truth is I'm not normal. My gift always seems to make life harder for me."

"What do you mean?" Mabel asked with a bewildered expression on her face. "You just saved us, didn't you? And you saved those three men with your gift. That's awesome! You should be proud of it."

Norman shook his head. "But none of that would have happened if I didn't have my gift. Don't you remember what Jeff said? The spiritual energy in this town increased since I came here. I don't think there has ever been a medium in Gravity Falls. At least, I never ran into a ghost who remembered talking to one. All the ghosts became more active since they found out I could talk to them."

Dipper scratched his head. "I don't get it, how does talking to ghosts awaken the banshee? How is that connected at all?"

"I wondered that at first too," Norman admitted. "Talking to ghosts can make them more active and increase their energy for a little while, and I thought that might have disturbed that banshee or something, but I don't know… that didn't really fit. Why would talking to other unrelated ghosts make her want to kidnap men?"

"So, what woke her up?" Mabel asked.

"Well," Norman began. "I met this one ghost. Her name is Cheyenne. She was about seven years old when she died."

Norman noticed the two twins wince at the age.

"She's my friend and she's pretty mature for her age. She told me that she would cross over when her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Murphy here in town, died so that they could cross over together."

"Do you really see sad stuff like that all the time?" Mabel asked quietly, her mouth pulled into a worried frown.

The medium paused his story to look at her in surprise. No one had ever shown concern about the sad things he had to deal with as a medium. His family had been worried about the dangerous things he's dealt with, but never the sad ones. "It's not too bad," Norman assured her hastily. "Some of it is sad, but I've met some really great ghosts. For a long time, they were the only friends I had," he admitted.

The twins glanced sadly at each other and Norman blushed. Now he really sounded pathetic.

"B-but anyway," Norman continued quickly. "Today I talked to Mr. and Mrs. Murphy and I accidentally mentioned Cheyenne. I thought I was going to make them sad, but they didn't even know who she was! They said they've never had kids."

"So Cheyenne lied?" Dipper wondered.

"Yeah, and I tried to find her after that but I couldn't."

"I… I think I'm starting to get it," Dipper said. Norman could tell Dipper was putting together the same pieces he did.

"A-and I had a vision," Norman admitted, rubbing his arm self-consciously. It was weird enough explaining how he could talk to ghosts, but the visions? Norman barely understood those.

"Whoa! You have visions too?" Mabel had a huge grin on her face. Norman could tell she was definitely enjoying this.

"Uhh, yeah, sometimes… I'm not a psychic or anything."

Both the twins made a face at the word 'psychic'.

"I can't tell the future, but sometimes I get these… warnings. Like omens or something. Sometimes they warn me about stuff that is going to happen and sometimes I can see the past. It's weird… I don't know how to explain them, but that's why I passed out at the carnival."

"Wait, really?" Dipper's eyes were wide. "I had almost forgotten about that. What happened? What did you see?"

"It was strange," Norman said slowly as he tried to remember exactly what he had learned from the vision. "The banshee was there, and she told me she knew you guys had the comb and that she was getting more powerful and that she would be coming after you instead of me."

Dipper nodded. "That matches what Jeff said about her becoming more powerful and her ability to turn off lights. That also explains why she grabbed us instead of you."

Norman bit his lip. "I'm sorry… It's my fault. I-I wanted to warn you, but I-"

Suddenly, a pillow was thrown at Norman's head by a frowning Mabel. At first, Norman thought she was mad, as she rightly should be. If Norman had warned them about the vision earlier than maybe they could have been more prepared. But then, Mabel spoke.

"Stop it right there, buster! Are you really blaming yourself for what the banshee just did? She was the one that attacked us, not you. _You,_" she clarified, "were the one that _saved _us."

"You don't understand, all of this is my fault," Norman tried to explain. "L-let me finish and then you'll get it."

Mabel folded her arms unhappily but let him continue.

Norman took a breath. He didn't really want to explain to them how he ruined everything, but then again, he couldn't keep pretending it wasn't his fault either.

"The other thing I learned from the vision was probably the most important. In the visions she said the comb belonged to someone else. She said, 'it belongs to her'. I wasn't sure what that meant at the time, but when she was holding you two I finally figured it out. I remembered how Cheyenne told me that the comb had reminded me of her mother, and how she had lied about who her real parents are. I remembered how the comb belonged to somebody else, and I thought… well, it just made _sense_ that-"

"Cheyenne is the banshee's daughter," Dipper finished for him, an impressed look on his face.

"Yeah, but I don't think the banshee really remembers that. Sometimes when ghosts go through traumatic experiences in their life they forget who they are. They become more monster than human, but often times that human part is still in there somewhere… deep down."

"Really deep, deep down," Mabel agreed.

"I'm not even sure Cheyenne knows what's going on, either," Norman continued. "Sometimes a ghost's memory can get a little damaged and they can forget important things about their life because they don't want to remember. If I can talk to her maybe I can convince her to stop her mother."

"I don't understand, you said this was your fault. How is any of this your fault?" Dipper asked.

"It's my fault because I woke up the banshee. Talking to ghosts in town probably wouldn't have been enough spiritual energy to wake her up, but talking to her daughter? If the banshee has an emotional connection with her daughter, which she obviously does because she has her comb, than she would know if her daughter's energy increases. Plus, the men started going missing the day I met Cheyenne, which was a few days after I arrived at Gravity Falls. This combined with what Jeff said… it all makes sense."

The twins were quiet. They weren't even exchanging telepathic glances with each other, or whatever it is they normally do that puts them on the same wavelength. They just looked solemn.

"So… so it is my fault," Norman said at last with a shaky breath. "If it wasn't for me, Jason, the guy that was killed by the banshee, would still be alive, and you guys would have never been in danger in the first place."

"If it wasn't for you," Mabel said carefully, "I would be dead." There was a ringing silence in the room, and for a moment, Norman didn't know what to say. That seemed like too serious of a sentence to come from the twelve-year-old girl with the silly sweaters and cute stickers, but for the first time, Norman realized that she really did understand the situation she was in. Both the twins understood the danger better than he expected.

"Y-yeah, but you wouldn't have even been in that situation if I hadn't-"

"Dipper, please pass me your pillow, I need to hit Norman again," Mabel said in a business-like tone.

Dipper chuckled. "Seriously, man, are you always this hard on yourself? Okay, so what if all this happened because you did talk to Cheyenne? Would you really go back in time and stop yourself from befriending her if you could? And think about it, if for some reason the banshee did start hurting people on her own without you talking to Cheyenne, you wouldn't know how to stop her. You really can't play 'what ifs' like that, Norman. It will mess with your head."

Dipper caught his sister staring at him incredulously from the corner of his eye.

"What?" he asked.

"Did that really just come from your mouth?" his sister asked incredulously. "Yours? The guy who worries about every little thing and thinks about every possible outcome before doing something? You're the king of 'what ifs'!"

"Th-that's not true! I'm not that bad," Dipper denied.

"Dipper," Mabel said seriously. "You once stole a time machine so you could undo one bad ball toss."

Dipper blushed. "It was an important ball toss… and you're missing the point! We're supposed to be helping Norman here. He's blaming himself for stuff that was out of his control!"

Dipper stood up and walked over to Norman resolutely. "Norman, I want you to understand something. It was a good thing that you befriended Cheyenne. If I died when I was seven I would be lonely and want a friend to talk to. You might have shown us the comb, but Mabel and I kept it even though we knew we would be in danger. That was our choice. You can't blame yourself for that. And as for not telling us about the vision… it wouldn't have mattered either way if you had or not. We would have stuck to our plan anyway because we're stubborn. You _know _that." Dipper placed a comforting hand on Norman's shoulder. "So none of this is your fault, okay?"

Norman felt his chest tightened; it was like a hand was squeezing his heart. He knew Dipper had made solid points, and that he was right. Norman knew he shouldn't blame himself. However, Norman couldn't help but still feel unbelievably guilty and he didn't know why. Maybe it was because they were all still in danger. He had barely been able to save the twins last time, and maybe next time they wouldn't be so lucky.

"Dipper…" Norman voice wavered. "Mabel almost died."

Now _that_ cause Dipper to freeze; his body going ridged. "I-I know," Dipper barely managed to say; his voice was even more shaky than Norman's.

Norman realized he wasn't the only one still reeling from that event. In fact, Mabel was the one who almost died, and she seemed the most put together out of all of them all.

"If you weren't a medium, if you had never met Cheyenne…" Dipper began.

'_Then Mabel would have never been in danger,' _Norman finished for Dipper in his head.

"Then you wouldn't have been able to save my sister," Dipper finished. "…At least not without giving the banshee back her comb and putting who knows how many people in danger."

Norman's eyes widened in surprise.

"Thank you," Dipper added gratefully.

Mabel had said the same thing just minutes ago, but it seemed different coming from Dipper. If there is one thing Norman had learned about the twins, it was that they were extremely protective of each other.

If Dipper truly didn't blame Norman for putting his sister in danger, then maybe Norman really didn't have anything to be guilty about.

Tears sprung to Norman's eyes and he hastily tried to blink them away without the twins seeing.

"Yeah, Norman, thanks!" Mabel's grin was honest and bright. "And if you feel guilty about the banshee thing again, then you have to feel guilty about saving me too."

Norman looked at his new, colorful friend beaming at him from on top of her sleeping bag, and then at her at her brother who still had his comforting hand on Norman's shoulder, and Norman knew he wouldn't feel guilty anymore, because without this whole adventure he would have never met the twins, and he could never in a million years regret knowing them.

* * *

**Welp, there you go! The reveal (finally). You have no idea how many times I have edited this chapter to make it as close to perfect as I could get. I hope it lives up to your guys' expectations! **


	15. Ghost Hunt of a Different Sort

**I'm so happy so many of you liked the reveal! I think my obsessive re-witting of it paid off. **

**Real quick, I also wanted to address the lack of romance in this story, because parapines is usually about DipperXNorman romance stuff. You guys might not get the impression from reading this story, but I ship Dipper and Norman hard core, you don't even know (or maybe you do if you feel the same), but I never intended for this story to have romance. The main reason is I just wanted to write a short story about them meeting and solving a mystery. Granted, this fic is much longer than I originally planned, but if I had added in a romance subplot I would have probably made the story twice as long and the downside of that is I run the risk of losing interest if my story is too big and I didn't want to abandon this story. So I wrote a shorter story that allows you to, if you ship them, add your own meaning and pick up little hints, or if you don't ship them you can just bask in their beautiful bromance. **

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen: Ghost Hunt of a Different Sort**

* * *

They talked late into the night as they recovered from the banshee attack. Norman told them all about Agatha and the other ghosts he had met throughout his life. He told them about how people used to treat him because they didn't understand his gift, and how things had gotten a bit better since he saved his town. He told them about the ghosts he met here in Gravity Falls and some of the things the ghost had requested of him.

Somewhere through the conversation, Mabel had fallen into a deep sleep despite the fact she had almost been killed tonight, and any normal person would be too scared to sleep.

Norman brought this up, but Dipper just shook his head with a laugh. "I guess she's just used to danger like that- we both are. And Mabel has never been very good at staying up late; probably because she's an early riser and a morning person. I warn you; if you think she's chipper normally, just wait until you see her in the morning. It's horrific how happy she can be so early."

Norman chuckled. "What about you? It's getting late, don't you want to sleep?"

Dipper yawned. "I'm getting a little tired, but with that banshee out there I don't know if I'll be able to sleep. Someone needs to keep watch, you know? You can sleep if you want though."

Norman shifted uncomfortably, glancing down at his covers. "Actually, I don't know if I can. I have… trouble getting to sleep sometimes. Some nights I really can't sleep at all."

Norman knew he probably should have gone to a doctor about this problem, but the thought of telling his dad about another weird problem he had made him want to hide in his room and try and forget about it. It wasn't _that_ bad anyway.

"Wait, you don't sleep?"

Norman shrugged. "I do… but normally not until later in the night, but that's okay!" he assured Dipper hurriedly. "Like you said, someone needs to stay up and keep watch."

Dipper folded his legs like a pretzel. "Alright, then I'll stay up with you!"

"You don't have to-" Norman tried to protest, but Dipper waved his concern away.

"It's okay! I would rather stay up and talk. Honestly, I don't think I could sleep without getting some pretty bad nightmares. I'm still a little freaked out about that attack…" Dipper rubbed his neck in embarrassment.

"Yeah, me too," Norman agreed quickly, both because it was true, and also to let Dipper know he didn't have to be embarrassed about being scared. "I think almost anyone would be-"

At that particular moment, Mabel let out a soft snore in her sleep and the two boys chuckled.

"Almost anyone," Dipper agreed dryly, looking at his sister in amusement. "But the truth is she wouldn't be able to sleep like that if we weren't here. It's just not as scary to deal with this stuff when you know you have other people watching your back."

"You're lucky," Norman told him suddenly. "You always have your sister to help you."

Dipper frowned in confusion. "Doesn't your sister help you out with the ghost thing?"

Norman shrugged. "Now that she actually believes me things have been better. She actually talks to me about it while my parents just try to ignore it… but she's still a little uncomfortable with it. She pretends not to be, but I can tell. Even when she tries to understand she can't because she can't see what I see. No one can…"

"That sounds… really lonely," Dipper said carefully, and Norman redirected his gaze to the covers of his bed.

"I guess," Norman mumbled while fidgeting with his hands.

Dipper and Norman were silent for a long time. Norman was trying to think of something to say to break the awkwardness, but his mind came up bank.

"So… do you think you can introduce us to a ghost tomorrow?" Dipper asked eventually. Norman's gaze snapped back up to meet Dipper's bright, excited eyes.

"Uh… I guess? If you want to…" Norman hedged.

Dipper's grin was so large it seemed to take up his entire face. "Of course I do! Hopefully they'll be nicer than those poltergeists in the convenience store I told you about."

"Most ghosts are nice," Norman quickly clarified. "And it's really rare to meet some as powerful as the ones you did. Most of them can't be seen by normal people, or touch things like the ones you met."

"This is why I'm so glad you can talk to ghosts! We are probably missing out on so much without you!"

Norman blushed, and for the first time in a long time, he was glad he could talk to ghosts too.

"I'm going to try and find Cheyenne tomorrow," Norman said. "She's probably the only one that can stop her mother."

"Great! We'll help you!" Dipper promised. "We might not be able to see ghosts but we will do whatever we can."

Throughout the night, they continued to discuss the plan for finding Cheyenne tomorrow. Eventually, Dipper couldn't stay up any longer and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Norman lay down on his bed and went over everything that had happened today in his mind. So much had changed in just a few hours. He went from thinking he lost his two new friends forever to suddenly realizing he couldn't imagine being stuck here in this small town without them.

Mabel woke them up the next morning all smiles and sunshine. She shook them awake, singing cheerfully, and was only stopped when her brother threw his pillow at her head. It was seven in the morning, and on vacation that was a criminal time to be awake, but now that Norman was up it would be impossible for him to go back to sleep. Norman didn't mind though. He had actually gotten a lot more sleep than he usually did. Maybe he had just been exhausted because of everything that had happened recently, or maybe Dipper was right, and it really was easier to feel comfortable when other people have your back.

Despite Dipper's complaining to his sister, it was probably best they get a head start anyway since they had a lot of things to do today. Besides, Norman didn't want to run into his parents before they left, and they probably wouldn't be up for another hour. He also didn't want to be around when his parents noticed the broken window in his room. Norman planned to explain everything to them once this was all over.

The twins had brought a change of clothes in their bags and all three of them had a bowl of cereal before they left the cabin. Right before they left, Norman remembered to leave a note for his parents to tell them he was out with friends.

And then, the Mystery Kids set out into the fresh morning air to find a small girl that would hopefully bring this mystery to a close.

* * *

Dipper noticed that Norman was still a little nervous about this whole thing. The medium would cast his gaze up and down the empty street like he was looking for someone, but he was silent the entire time with his lips pressed together. Dipper could tell he was seeing something by the way his gaze would focus on empty air, but then Norman would move on with the twins trailing behind him.

Dipper didn't really know how to make Norman feel more comfortable in this situation, especially because Dipper wasn't sure why Norman was nervous at all. They had told Norman they thought his gift was awesome, hadn't they? Norman had nothing to hide or be ashamed of in their minds. It was times like these when Dipper was very glad to have his sister along.

The next time Norman stopped to look around, Mabel came up beside him. She was so close her head was practically on Norman's shoulder as if she were trying to see what he saw.

"What do you see?" she asked eagerly. "Are there a lot of ghosts?"

Norman glanced uncomfortably at her. "Umm… y-yeah, a few. I haven't seen Cheyenne yet though."

"What do they look like?" she asked, unable to contain her excitement.

"W-well, there is an older lady with poofy white hair that's smoking a lot. It's like the cloud of smoke followers her around," Norman described in a hushed voice. It seemed weird that Norman would be whispering on the deserted street and Dipper had to remind himself that, to Norman, they weren't really alone. Norman probably felt awkward talking about the ghosts in front of the ghosts.

"And a big lumberjack guy with a black beard," Norman continued. "I think I've seen them around before."

"Are you going to ask them if they've seen Cheyenne?" Mabel asked, also in a hushed voice. However, Mabel's hushed voice was a lot louder than normal peoples' and Norman glanced awkwardly over to where Dipper guessed the ghosts were.

"Umm," Norman hesitated.

"Can we meet them to?" Mabel requested, pulling on the sleeve of Norman's jacket.

"S-sure," Norman agreed. "If you want to."

Mabel nodded with a grin. "Yes!"

Norman took a few steps forward. "Excuse me," he asked the empty space in front of him; or what looked to Dipper to be an empty space.

"Yeah, I'm Norman and these are my friends Mabel and Dipper."

"Hi!" Mabel said with a wave and Dipper tried to give the air a polite smile. This was weird and sort of cool at the same time. He kind of wished he could see what was going on though. He wasn't even sure where he should be looking.

After a moment of silence Norman said, "He says his name is Ben. He used to work for a lumber company about a decade ago." Norman turned back to the ghost. "We're actually looking for a little ghost girl who looks about seven years old. She has blonde hair and usually haunts around the Murphy's house."

There was a long pause before Norman said, "Oh, really? Are you sure?"

"What? What?" Mabel asked excitedly pulling on Norman's arm.

"He said he knows Cheyenne, but he hasn't seen her today," Norman explained. "He says we should try her haunt- umm, the place where she hangs out the most."

"So, we should go to the Murphy's house?" Dipper asked.

"Yeah, she wasn't there yesterday, but that's where I normally find her. I was thinking of heading there next anyway-huh?" Norman turned back to the ghost. "Wait, why? Y-yeah, okay thank you, we'll be careful," Norman promised. "Bye!"

As the medium led them away from the ghost, Mabel waved goodbye. "Bye, Ben!" she called.

"What was that last thing he told you?" Dipper asked Norman when they were far enough down the road.

"I'm not sure why," Norman said carefully, "but he told me not to go into the forest today because it was dangerous. I'm not really sure how he knows that. None of the ghosts I've talked to before knew anything about the banshee and I don't think he did either, but I think he could tell there was something extra dangerous about the forest today." Norman looked around carefully. "It's strange… there aren't as many ghosts around as there normally are. I think that's my fault…"

"What do you mean?" Dipper asked. "Because you tried to remind the banshee about her daughter?"

"Yeah, she's a powerful spirit. If she's angry and confused, especially more than usual, then it might be enough to scare the other spirits too. Even if they don't quite know what's going on, they can feel that something dangerous is around."

"Do ghosts get scared?" Mabel asked, cocking her head to the side.

Norman nodded. "Of course. Fear is one of the big reasons why some ghosts stick around. A lot of ghosts are afraid to move on, because they don't know what's next or they are afraid of leaving their family behind. And Cheyenne was even afraid of the forest, even though not much can hurt her because she's already dead."

"Then why was she afraid?" Dipper asked. "That doesn't make sense."

"Because she's still a seven year old girl and no matter how many years she's been dead that will always be true," Norman explained with a shrug. "Ghosts usually operate more on their emotions than their logic so it can be hard to reason with them."

"Do you think you can convince Cheyenne to stop her mother than?" Dipper asked worriedly.

"I-I don't know," Norman admitted. "I might need to remind her that the Murphy's aren't her real parents if she really has convinced herself that they are..." Norman's gaze cast to the ground and he suddenly looked very sad. "And then I have to ask her to stop a crazy banshee, and even though it's her mother I just-"

"What's wrong?" Mabel asked, sensing his distress.

Norman sighed. "I know this is the only way, but I just wish it didn't involve sending a seven year old into the forest to confront a banshee."

"But it's her mother," Mabel reasoned, "and Cheyenne can't get hurt, right?"

Norman shrugged. "She can't get hurt by normal things, but I'm not sure what a banshee could do to her. Also…" Norman hesitated, "I promised… well, never mind," Norman cut himself off quickly. "Come on, let's go find Cheyenne."

They went to the Murphy's house, but Cheyenne wasn't there. Norman asked a few ghosts outside the house if they had seen her recently, but none of them had.

"When was the last time you saw her?" Dipper had asked one of the ghosts, surprising Norman. The medium relayed their answer. Apparently the last time they saw her was last night, but she had disappeared in the morning.

They had no idea where she had gone, but they assured them she would eventually be back. However, the Mystery Kids couldn't afford to wait all day for her.

They continued walking around town, which wasn't a very big place, but it would still take them all day to comb through the whole town looking for one little girl, especially since Norman was the only one that could see her.

Norman asked any ghost he could, and Dipper noticed the young medium seemed much more comfortable talking to ghost in front of them now than he had this morning. In fact, they were getting so desperate that even when more living people started to crowd the streets, Norman didn't seem to care that it looked like he was talking to ghosts in front of everybody. It could have also helped that both Dipper and Mabel were talking to the ghosts as well, or at least attempting to with Norman as their ghost-translator, and Norman didn't have to feel like he was the only strange one in town.

Perhaps it was because finding Cheyenne could be a life and death situation if the banshee ever decided to attack again, or maybe it was because Dipper had been through enough mysteries to know this was the part right before the climax where very little made sense and everything was about to come together, but despite not actually being able to see and hear the ghosts, Dipper wasn't bored. Not even Mabel was bored and they had been searching the town for hours with little to no progress.

Mabel's attention span, unless it had something to do with arts and crafts or boys, was usually pretty short. Mabel found joy in many things so she was easily distracted, and the fact that her mind hadn't yet wandered off either meant that she understood the gravity of the situation, or that she found Norman's powers and their little ghost hunt as enthralling as he did. Perhaps it was a little of both.

Around late afternoon, the kids knew they needed to take a break. Feeling a more than a little discouraged, they headed to the Mystery Shack to get some lunch.

* * *

As they sat down in the Mystery Shack kitchen to eat some left over pizza from the fridge, Norman ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

"I'm sorry, this isn't turning out like I expected…" he mumbled.

"Don't worry, this is just a setback," Dipper assured him.

"Yeah, we'll figure it out," Mabel assured him. "We always do."

Norman sighed. "Yeah…"

Norman really didn't want to go through another night with the lights on. It's not that he minded the light, but he really wanted this dangerous banshee situation wrapped up already. Norman didn't know if the banshee would come back for them after what had happened last night, but she probably would. After all, Norman still had the comb.

Also, the lumberjack ghost that Norman talked to seemed to still sense danger, so Norman doubted she had given up.

They continued eating their pizza when Norman suddenly heard a frustrated yell come from the ceiling of the kitchen. There was a tour group being guided through the mystery shack at that very moment, so Norman first thought he misheard where the sound was coming from, but then he heard a frustrated little girl's voice scream, _"Where is it?"_

It had been a scream; a full-out frustrated scream that traveled throughout the house, but Norman could definitely tell it was coming from above them.

Norman looked at Mabel and Dipper, expected them to be looked around confused as well, but they were still concentrating on their pizza as if they hadn't heard anything.

Norman frowned and looked up at the ceiling. "You two don't have another sibling, right?" he half joked.

"Huh?" Dipper asked, glancing up to where Norman was looking.

"You guys didn't hear that scream, did you?" Norman asked carefully, already suspecting what their answer would be, and knowing what it meant if he was correct.

Both the twins looked at him in confusion and shook their heads wordlessly.

Norman stood up from his seat and ran upstairs, the twins following close behind.

Norman opened the door to the twin's bedroom. It looked about the same as it did last time Norman visited except for the young, blonde ghost girl floating in the middle of the room wearing a guilty expression on her face.

"Cheyenne," Norman breathed in relief.

* * *

**Not the most exciting chapter, unfortunately, but the next chapter will have a lot more answers. Ugg, I'm still writing next chapter… I have officially caught up with myself. Hopefully my updates will stay only 3-4 days apart. **

**Also, I don't know who came up with it originally, but I really like the headcanon that Norman has insomnia.**

**Please review!**


	16. A Ghost's Story

**Hey guys! So before this story is completely over I'm planning to make another gravity falls fic (not parapines, sorry. This one is more about Bill and the twins). This parapines story probably has about five more chapters or so to go, but I'm mentioning this ahead of time. I'm eventually going to have more information on my new fic on my tumblr: dpshrineinclosetgirl If you guys are interested.**

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen: A Ghost's Story **

* * *

"Cheyenne's there?" Mabel asked, and Norman nodded.

"Cheyenne, we've been looking everywhere for you!" Norman took in the surroundings again for the second time. In Norman's relief of finding Cheyenne, he didn't think about how strange it was that she would be in the twin's house until now. "What are you doing here?"

Cheyenne bit her lip and placed her hands behind her back shyly. _"I was… uh… looking for you, Norman!"_ She had hesitated at first, but now her response came out bright and chipper._ "I went to your house first but you weren't there. Then I remember seeing you come from this shack the other day."_

Norman frowned and looked around the room. Nothing looked like it had been touched, but of course as a ghost she wouldn't be able to actually touch anything anyway. However, the nagging feeling that something wasn't right combined with the scream he had heard coming from this room caused Norman to ask his next question. "What are you looking for?"

Cheyenne vehemently shook her head. _"N-nothing! I just came to see you! That's all!"_

Norman blinked. Cheyenne was… a great liar for a seven-year-old. Had he not already suspected what she was looking for, he might have believed her story.

The medium took the comb out of his bag. "Is this what you're looking for?" he asked, holding it up.

Cheyenne pursed her lips and blinked rapidly_. "N-no."_ Norman could tell she was about to cry and immediately felt his gut clench with guilt.

"Cheyenne, it's okay," Norman's voice took on a soothing tone as he stepped forward. "You're not in trouble. We just need to talk to you."

Cheyenne rubbed her eyes. Ghosts couldn't actually cry real tears, but they could simulate crying and it felt real enough to them.

"Norman," Mabel said kindly, coming up behind him. Norman glanced at her, but she wasn't looking at him, but at the place Norman had been starting at… where Cheyenne was. He understood immediately.

"Oh, Cheyenne, there are some people who want to meet you. This is Dipper and-"

"Hi! I'm Mabel," Mabel greeted cheerily, and even Cheyenne was taken aback by her bright personality.

"_H-Hi,"_ Cheyenne greeted shyly.

Even though Mabel couldn't hear Cheyenne' response, the female twin didn't let that stop her. "We've been looking for you all day! I wish I could see you. I bet you look adorable."

Dipper came to stand next to his sister. "She's always like this around new people; you get used to it." Dipper explained to the little girl. "Just ask Norman."

Cheyenne smiled. _"I think she's nice."_

"Cheyenne doesn't mind," Norman assured them, and Mabel smiled brighter.

"See, Dip?" Mabel turned to her brother. "People love me."

Dipper rolled his eyes in amusement.

"Cheyenne," Norman called gently, pulling her attention back. "We really need to talk."

Both the twins halted their joking and looked on solemnly, waiting for Norman to continue.

"_W-what is it?"_ Cheyenne asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear nervously.

"Well…" Norman hesitated. "For starters, I talked to Mr. and Mrs. Murphy the other day."

Cheyenne's eyes widened. _"You did?"_

Norman nodded. "Yeah, and this might be hard to hear, but they told me that they never had a daughter. They've never had any kids at all."

Cheyenne looked away, unable to keep eye contact with Norman. _"Oh r-really? That's weird..."_

Norman froze. Cheyenne didn't sound all that surprised or upset. That was not the reaction of a seven-year-old that was just told the ones she thought where her parents had never heard of her.

"Wait a minute," Norman began, trying hard to keep the accusing tone out of his voice, but failing. "You know they aren't your parents, don't you? What you told me isn't just story that you tricked yourself into believing; you know exactly what's going on!"

Cheyenne shifted uncomfortably.

"Why did you lie?" Norman asked incredulously. "Why did you tell me you would cross over when they did?"

"_Because I will!"_ Cheyenne countered indignantly, and then she paused to look over at the twins in embarrassment. _"C-can we not talk about that?"_

Norman hesitated. Crossing over was a very personal matter for a ghost, but this was important. People's lives were at stake. They couldn't just talk about it another time.

"No we have to talk about it now," Norman said, apologetic, but firm. "What do you mean you will cross over when they do? They aren't your parents Cheyenne. You've never even met them!"

"_Y-you don't understand, Norman,"_ Cheyenne insisted_. "They might not actually be my parents, but I… I love them. I've known them for so long. I think they would love me if… if they knew me. I would be a good daughter and they would be good parents. I just… I like to pretend. But I will cross over with them, I promise,"_ Cheyenne assured him, and Norman got the impression that she was also trying to convince herself. _"Because when they are gone… I won't have any reason to stay."_

Norman sighed sadly. "It doesn't work that way, Cheyenne, I'm sorry. You were unable to cross over before you met the Murphy's and you will still be unable to after they're gone if you don't deal with why you're here in the first place."

"_Y-you don't know what you're talking about!"_ Cheyenne denied. _"You're not dead!"_ she shouted.

Norman bit his lip. He didn't want to upset her, but he had to make her understand. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the twins watching on with worry.

"You're right, I'm not dead… but I do know about this stuff. I'm a medium; it's my job to help you," Norman insisted. "I think you're right… I think you can't cross over until both your parents do, but the Murphy's aren't the parents that you are waiting for-"

"_I don't care!" _she shouted. _"My mom and dad are gone and I don't care! I don't ever want to see them again!"_

Norman's eyes softened. "Your mom is not gone Cheyenne… she's been holding onto your comb all this time. For some reason, she became the banshee that lives in the forest."

Cheyenne gave Norman a heated glare and crossed her arms._ "So?"_

Norman's mouth fell open. "So?" he repeated in disbelief. "You mean you know that the banshee is your mother? You've known since the beginning? Why didn't you tell me?"

"What?" Norman heard Dipper hiss, but then Mabel quickly shushed him.

"_Because I hate my mommy," _she told him matter-of-factly. _"That's why I pretend that I have a new mom and dad."_

"But Cheyenne," Norman protested emphatically. "Your mother is killing people. You understand that, right?"

Cheyenne looked away guiltily.

"You're smart," Norman continued. "You told me you've been around for about fifty years, but the truth is it's been closer to a hundred, hasn't it? That's how long the banshee has been around."

Cheyenne shrugged, still stubbornly not looking at him.

"I know you're still just a kid, and I know it's asking a lot, but you can't just let your mother keep hurting people. Even if you hate her… other people don't deserve to die."

"_I don't care,"_ Cheyenne muttered in a small voice, but the tears in her eyes told Norman otherwise.

"Yes, you do care," Norman said gently. He took a few steps forward and knelt down before the small girl. "Cheyenne… Dipper, Mabel and me… we almost got killed by your mother last night."

Cheyenne's head snapped up, a horrified expression on her face. _"W-What?"_

Norman nodded. "We got away, but she's going to come back. We need your help to stop her, Cheyenne."

The small girl shook her head. _"No! I-I can't! You don't understand! I just can't!"_

"Please, you have to," Norman pleaded. "If you don't, more people will die. _We _might die," he emphasized, glancing over at the twins. "And Cheyenne, you won't ever be able to cross over. All you have to do is talk to her-"

"_Stop it!"_ Cheyenne shouted, her eyes glowing with desperation. _"Just stop it!"_ She took her tiny hands and shoved Norman against his chest as hard as she could. Norman, unexpectedly, was thrown backwards all the way across the room until his back hit the edge of Mabel's bed with a loud thump.

"Norman!" Dipper shouted.

"Are you okay?" Mabel called.

Dazed and confused, Norman didn't even have time to answer as he watched books fly off the shelves and painting fall from their hangers. Papers flew around the room like they were caught up in some kind of indoor twister.

"_You can't make me do anything!"_ Cheyenne shouted. _"I won't do it!"_

The whole room buzzed with spectral energy and Norman could feel is seep underneath his skin. Cheyenne continued to pull things off shelves, and clothes flew out of their drawers

"Norman, what's happening?" Dipper called over the confusion.

Norman's back ached as he managed to get back on his feet. He had no idea Cheyenne was this powerful. She couldn't even touch solid things before and now she was throwing a temper tantrum like a poltergeist.

"Cheyenne, stop!" Norman shouted as he walked towards her, covering his head protectively. "Calm down before you hurt someone!"

Norman was right in front of Cheyenne's face, but she had her eyes squeezed tightly shut and she didn't seem to be able to hear him.

"Cheyenne! Stop it… please!" he pleaded desperately, and then, everything stopped. Random items from around the room fell out of the air and scattered across the floor. The spectral energy that filled the room dissipated, leaving the room feeling stale.

Cheyenne opened her eyes slowly. Confused, she looked around the room._ "Wha-?"_ Her eyes widened in fear. _"I…I didn't mean to do that."_ Her voice was shaky and weak; Norman barely recognized it. _"Norman, I'm sorry!"_ she apologized. Her eyes filled with tears. _"I- I didn't mean- I did want to hurt you, I-"_

"It's okay," Norman assured her softly. He tried to touch her shoulder reassuringly, but his hand went straight through her. She was still just a ghost, not a poltergeist. "It's okay," Norman repeated. "I know you didn't mean to. You just got a little upset. Are you okay now?"

Cheyenne nodded slowly, her face scrunched up in confusion. _"You're… you're not mad?"_

Norman shook his head. "No, I'm not mad."

"_You're… not scared of me?"_ Cheyenne sounded more upset, maybe even fearful, over the possibility that Norman could be afraid of her. The medium's chest tightened with empathy. Hadn't he, not that long ago, been worried that his new friends would fear or hate him?

"No, Cheyenne, I'm not afraid of you. You're my friend and I trust you," he assured her. In the back of his mind, he realized this was the same type assurance the twins gave him when he was having doubts.

Norman decided to try a different approach. "Can you at least tell me why you don't want to talk to your mother?" Norman prompted carefully. "Can you tell me… what happened when you were alive?"

Usually, a ghost's 'before' was not something that one usually brought up unless the ghost volunteered information. It was considered rude to ask about a ghost's life. However, as a medium, Norman felt like it was his job to ask about it if he was going to help a ghost cross over. Sometimes, they needed a little reminding of what it had been like to be human.

Cheyenne shook her head. _"No, I can't. Don't make me talk about it," _she pleaded._ "It makes me feel small… and scared… and…"_

"You know, sometimes the scarier the truth, the more important it is that you faced it." Norman recited gently. "Mrs. Murphy, the woman you consider to be your mother, told me that."

"_S-she did?"_

"Yes, and this is really important, Cheyenne. I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't."

Cheyenne closed her eyes in defeat. _"I-I know. Okay, I'll tell you…I'll tell you what happened when I died."_ The little girl sighed in defeat, her large eyes glossy. _"But only because you said it's important Norman."_

Norman nodded in understanding. Norman didn't want to make her bring up painful memories, but he hoped it would be good for her in the long run.

"_When I was little I had a mommy and a daddy," _Cheyenne began._ "I don't remember my daddy that much anymore. He wasn't around very much. When he did come home I remember how it would change mommy. Mommy… thought about him a lot, sometimes more than she thought about me. She was usually a nice person who cared about me and stayed home with me all day, but when she thought about daddy she got mean. She got mean and angry and when Daddy came home and sometimes she would forget about me. I think it was because daddy didn't come home that much and mommy thought that he didn't love her. I knew what that was like, because when daddy was home I wondered if mommy really loved me."_

Norman's mouth parted slightly. He wanted to assure her that her mom did love her, but he realized he didn't know that for sure. So he waited and he listened.

"_It wasn't always like this,"_ Cheyenne sniffled_. "I remember when I was really really little and mommy and daddy were happy. But then daddy started not coming home and mommy started acting weird… or…"_ Cheyenne paused. _"Did mommy start acting weird first?" _she asked herself. _"I'm… I'm not sure but mommy would suddenly become a different… meaner person. The more daddy was away the sicker she got, but it wasn't sick like with a cold… she would just… not be mommy any more. She would yell and scream, sometimes at me and sometimes to herself. She would calm down when I would bring her my comb and tell her I loved her. Then she would say she was sorry and brush my hair to make me feel better."_

"Umm, Norman?" Dipper asked, inappropriately loudly for the atmosphere Cheyenne's story was creating. Granted, Dipper couldn't hear the story so he had no idea what he was interrupting.

"Shh," Norman shushed him and Dipper's eyes widened in surprise, but he closed his lips immediately.

Cheyenne didn't even glace at the male twin. _"And then one day something bad happened,"_ she admitted quietly_. "I don't know what it was but mommy suddenly hated daddy. He… did something bad… something that involved some other lady he knew, but mommy wouldn't tell me what was going on. Mommy thought that he loved the other lady more than he loved us, I think."_

Norman tried to piece together Cheyenne's broken story in his own head. She was only seven so her ability to understand what had been going on at the time was limited. She also hadn't thought about these events in a long time, so Norman could understand why she was having trouble dredging them back up again. From what Norman could tell, Cheyenne's mother started to become mentally unstable around the time Cheyenne's father started distancing himself from the family. The "sickness" as Cheyenne called it, could have started from her husband's behavior, or perhaps her husband started distancing himself from them because of his wife's sickness. Norman would probably never know which came first and it hardly mattered anymore.

It also seemed like Cheyenne's father had been cheating on his wife and that Cheyenne's mother had finally found out.

"_My mommy grabbed me and ran out of the house. She took me deep into the forest and we climbed up this mountain. I didn't know where we were and mommy told me we were never going back home again. My mommy found a cave in the mountain and we stayed there for many days. It was cold and scary to live in the cave and mommy… she wasn't mommy anymore. All she thought about was daddy and how much she hated him."_

"That cave that she brought you too has to be the same one that she's haunting now. Why did your mom go there, do you know? Wasn't there someone else in town she could stay with?"

Cheyenne shook her head. _"I don't know, but I know mommy said we ran away into the woods because she was afraid that daddy would try to take me away from her if he found us. The only thing I managed to bring to the cave was my comb. Mommy wouldn't talk to me much when we were hiding in the cave together, and the only thing I could get her to do was brush my hair with the comb. I think it relaxed her too…"_

Cheyenne sighed sadly. _"And then one day mommy went back to town and never came back. The cave had a hole in the ground that mommy would put me in when she left to get food from town. It had a lot of room, but I couldn't get out by myself unless mommy climbed down to get me with the rope."_

Norman's stomach plummeted. He knew where this story was headed.

"_It was nighttime when she left, and she was even sicker than normal that night. At night we usually had a fire to keep warm, but mommy never came back to build it, and I think she took the matches with her."_ Cheyenne hesitated. _"It was… so cold that night." _She shivered involuntarily. _"And in the morning she still wasn't back. I waited-"_ Cheyenne choked back a sob. "_I waited for a long time…"_

"Cheyenne," Norman breathed, tears in his eyes. "I'm so sorry…"

The little girl hugged herself- because no one else could hug her- and cried, her tears streaming down her face. It was a silent cry, her shoulders shaking with every sob, but not even a whimper escaped her lips. She cried, not as a child asking for attention, loud and boisterous, but as a girl in the agonizing depths of despair. She cried like the seven-year-old that spent her last days in a dark hole in the ground, knowing that if her mother never came back she would die cold and alone. A girl smart enough to know that her mother was broken, and that if she hadn't come back by now, she wasn't ever coming back.

At least, not in time.

Norman shuffled on his knees until he was right next to Cheyenne as he tried to place his arm around her. His arm went through her, but he tried to place it around her shoulder the best he could.

There wasn't much else he could say other than that. Everything else that came to his mind just sounded stupid and not comforting at all. Norman was starting to think that there was no way to comfort her. It was over. Cheyenne had died and no one had been there for her. Nothing Norman could say would change that or make it better.

Norman glanced up at Dipper and Mabel as if they had the answer.

Dipper was watching Norman with a worried frown and Mabel's eyes were glassy. She wasn't crying but she definitely seemed emotional, even though she hadn't heard any of the story. She probably read Norman's face and saw his tears. Norman knew Mabel was a very empathetic person, often understanding people on a different level than her brother.

Slowly, Cheyenne's tears stopped and she wiped her eyes stubbornly. "B-but that was years ago," she croaked out. "I… I haven't thought about that night in a long time."

"I'm sorry to make you relive that, Cheyenne." Norman's voice was so small he hardly recognized it.

Cheyenne shook her head. "It's okay… you were right. It was important to say. But the story is not over yet. I have to tell you what happened after I died. That's the most important part."

* * *

**Sorry it's sad! I didn't want to make this fic too depressing but you really can't have a ghost story without a little sadness. **


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